Mary Taylor Manchuela Rus Jimenez 2020

The 2020 Mary Taylor Manchuela from Rus Jiménez is exactly that. A grape variety I’m pretty sure I’ve never tried before, from a region most people can’t find on a map, made by a young woman who took over her family farm in her twenties and decided to do things entirely her own way. This is the kind of discovery that you need to try.

Moravia Agria is a rare varietal grown almost exclusively in central and eastern Spain as “Agria” meaning sour, a friendly dig at the wine’s beautiful natural acidity. Rus Jiménez is a rebel who farms her wines in Albacete organically, working with minimal sulfur, whole cluster cold soaking, and semi-carbonic fermentation. The wind they call “El Solano” blows across these high-altitude plains between two rivers, creating a micro-climate that balances sunshine and freshness in a way that makes this wine utterly unique. We’re talking nearly 50-yea old vines that help create some magical wines.