Dear Member,
In the north of Spain, rain blown in from the Bay of Biscay collects in the jagged peaks of the Cantabrian Mountains. From there, two rivers issue forth, ambling past crumbling dungeon keeps, small fortified towns, stone churches with terracotta tile roofs, and old vines planted more than a century ago.
Nowhere else in Europe do the echoes of the ancient and medieval ages still reverberate so clearly.
Follow the Ebro River southeast and you arrive at a vast plain, punctuated by soft, rolling hills and sudden promontories. It was here, under wide blue skies, that gold-seeking Phoenicians battled Iberian tribes—and planted the first Tempranillo vines—three thousand years ago. Here, too, two generations of Carthaginian generals, first Hamilcar and then his son Hannibal, faced Rome in the 2nd century BC. Centuries later, Christian armies clashed with Arab invaders during the Dark Ages. And in the 20th century, the International Brigades shattered against the forces of Franco and his Nazi allies in the last great offensive of the Spanish Civil War.
As they hand-prune their peculiarly contorted vines—described by one critic as “gnarled in agony”—the vignerons of Alta and Alavesa, of Rioja and Ribera del Duero, need only glance up at the old stone strongholds that loom above them. These fortresses stand as reminders of centuries spent resisting oblivion, whether by cannon, mortar shell, or razor-sharp scimitar.
In the opposite direction, the Sil River cuts through a series of narrow valleys, passing old monasteries and steep terraced vineyards, into a region known as “Celtic Spain.” Legend holds that the Irish originated here—a claim seemingly supported by the abundance of red-haired, fair-skinned women, and by the Celtic shanties played in village taverns. There, locals dine on swordfish sautéed in butter, paired with a mysterious yet ancient wine known as Godello.
In This Box
You will find six bottles:
LAN Limitada 2013
Protos Crianza 2015
Ladera Sagrada Castelo do Papa Godello 2018
Gomez Cruzado Honorable 2015
El Sacramento 2014
Bodegas Manzanos Gran Reserva 2008
We believe these six wines—some of which are not available anywhere else in the United States—fully represent the old tradition of Spanish wine. Made from vines up to 50 years old, hand-harvested, and aged in cellars that are sometimes hundreds of years old, each bottle speaks to a distinct place and past.
Our advice is simple: let each wine speak on its own terms. Each has a story to tell.
To your health,
Will Bonner
Founder, Bonner Private Wine Partnership
