Jascots launches Fernando Mora MW’s first vintage

Jascots Wine Merchants has launched the first vintage (2016) from Fernando Mora MW’s ancient, remote, high-altitude ‘Grand Cru’ vineyard - El Jardín de Las Iguales. 
 
The wines are a Garnacha Tinta from vines planted in 1918 and a Macabeo from the vineyards oldest vines – planted in 1898, with only a very limited amount available of each.   
 
Founded in 2010, Bodegas Frontonio is the passion project lead by wine maker Fernando Mora MW who, along with his partners, saved the ancient vineyard from extinction, purchasing it just days before it was due to be pulled up. 
 
The mission of Bodegas Frontonio is to “restore the pride of Aragon” - the little understood, ancient wine region between Rioja and Catalunya with Zaragoza at its centre. 
 
“Fernando has made wines here that are already accepted to be of Grand Cru quality and the extent to which demand outstrips supply in this his first vintage is testament to that,” said Miles MacInnes, managing partner, Jascots. 
 
“We’ve been working with Bodegas Frontonio since 2014 and it has been so exciting and rewarding to follow the rapid and remarkable progress it has made towards establishing itself as one of the most important and exciting wineries in Spain.”
 
Critial acclaim received for the wines before their UK launch includes Luis Guittierez of the Wine Advocate marking the 2016 Macabeo and Garnacha 94 and 95/100 respectively, remarking that “[these wines are] quite unique, they have discovered something really important here”, while Jancis Robinson MW gave the red 18.5/20 and talks of the wines as being “…extremely dramatic with so much personality…..really fine.”  
 
Mora MW said: “It was amazing for me and my business partner to see the reaction of sommeliers in the UK to El Jardín de Las Iguales, London has many of the best somms in the world and to share these wines with them is the realization of a major ambition for us. 
 
“Our goal as Bodegas Frontonio is to save the ancient vineyards of Aragon and restore pride to our home vineyards, we feel very proud to launch the wines here and our dream continues."
 
The next vintage is set to be released later this year depending on its ‘readiness’.