Pepe Mendoza Casa Agrícola

ALICANTE

Pepe Mendoza ( left) appears as the smiling godfather in the Mediterranean wine world – ready to recommend wines, winemakers and places to eat, and to make connections. He undoubtedly has the liveliest Instagram presence among the producers in these pages, with highlights of life in the vineyard. Oh – and he is a dachshund owner, too. What more could one want? Casa Agrícola is new, launched in 2016. Yet his experience in Alicante is long and deep, formerly working for his family’s business, Bodegas Enrique Mendoza. ‘It was after a trip to Georgia with [winemaker] Rafa Bernabé. My heart changed when I saw the simplicity of the winemaking. After spending 25 years trying to make a normal Chardonnay, I also realised the best wines were from indigenous grapes. You need to express the soil of Alicante, to see the pine, thyme and rosemary.’

Now he focuses on Monastrell and Giró. Moscatel, too. The winery buildings were formerly used for sun-drying Moscatel for raisins, once the industry in these parts. Today he’s interested in using the grapes for dry wines, made in amphorae: ‘Moscatel flourishes with skin contact. It has its bitter amargitos aspect, but people try to mask that with sugar.’

He also makes small releases of experimental wines.

His response to these trials is typical of the man – there are never any mistakes: ‘Either you get it right and succeed, or you don’t, in which case you learn. Either way, you don’t lose.’

Pepe Mendoza Casa Agrícola, Mares de Luz, Alicante 2018 92

£9.50 (2019) The Wine Society

One of Pepe Mendoza’s small-batch discovery wines, ‘ Pequeñas producciones’, this has a really Mediterranean flavour in its blend of Monastrell from the Alto Vinalopó’s sandy loam and the bright freshness of Giró on Marina Alta’s ferrous clay. With its meaty, smoky aromas and distinct, bold and spicy fruit, it’s a wine that’s full of energy. It sees 10 months in 500L Alliers oak. Drink 2021-2025 Alcohol 14%