Bodegas Mano a Mano have 330 hectares of vineyards: 300ha at Finca La Dehesa in Alhambra, and 30ha at Finca Sierra de La Solana in Herencia. They also control another 100ha across Ciudad Real and Cuenca, in Castilla y León. Their spectacular winery can be found at Finca La Dehesa, surrounded by old Tempranillo vines (here also known as Cencibel). At around 700m altitude, the vines grow on poor sandy soils, largely gobelet-trained and averaging 50 years old. Grapes here mature rapidly, producing medium sized, compact and uniform bunches with thick skins – and their drought tolerance allows production of robust red wines with intense colour.
Ascunción Yébenes manages the winemaking team at Mano a Mano, and works magic with the grapes grown here (some Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Graciano and Touriga Nacional are also planted) and their cellar of largely French oak barrels.
Venta la Ossa is a rich and intense Tempranillo, old vines planted at altitude in Castilla-La Mancha. Intense ripe fruit, lifted floral characters on the nose with notes of wood spice and liquorice. The palate is plump and rich with blackberry fruit, clove, and dark chocolate – complex and intense, with smooth tannins and a long finish.
