Mancuso highlights the potential of mountain Garnacha in Aragón

The best Garnachas from Aragón are often said to come from high-elevation sites. However, winemaker Jorge Navascués argues that elevation alone does not guarantee better quality. "What I especially value in mountainous areas are the soils and the fact that, in certain locations, vineyards can be shaded by the mountains, limiting their exposure to the sun," he explains.

For several years now, Navascués has been working with vineyards that meet these criteria in Almonacid de la Sierra (Zaragoza), in the foothills of the Sierra de Algairén, around 10 kilometres from Cariñena. The area's rugged terrain contrasts sharply with the valley floor, where much of the DO Cariñena’s vineyard area is concentrated. Following the range's foothills westward lies Alpartir, home to Bodegas Frontonio, a leading Garnacha-focused project in Aragon.

The year 2025 marks a major milestone for the Navascués family. “We are launching our first winery,” Jorge Navascués says proudly. It’s no small achievement considering it has taken five generations of winegrowers from Requena on his mother's side, and three generations of Aragonese winemakers on his father's side to reach this point.

Jorge's grandfather worked as a cellarman at the San Juan cooperative in Fuendejalón, currently Bodegas Aragonesas. His father, Jesús Navascués, aged 75, retired last year after having consulted for numerous wineries across Aragon, including Somontano, as well as Navarra and Tenerife. Jorge began working alongside him in 1997 but has since scaled back his consultancy services, focusing now on just three clients: Viña Zorzal in Navarra, Aylés in Aragón and the Cvne group, where he is technical director at Contino in Rioja and Virgen de Galir in Valdeorras (Galicia).

Together, father and son have witnessed the stylistic evolution of Garnacha reds, from a time when oxidation was the main enemy through the excesses of overripeness and generous extraction,  to the recent quest for more elegant, perfumed styles.

Jorge believes that more work is needed to capture the purest expression of Garnacha and understanding how it responds to different terroirs. With experience in Aragón, Navarra, and now Rioja, he has found that the variety shows best when it reaches a potential alcohol of between 13.5% and 14.2% abv. "The problem is finding  people to pick the grapes within that narrow window," he points out.

Having tried various winemaking techniques, including destemming, crushing, whole-bunch fermentation and fermenting with stems and white grapes, Jorge believes that treading whole bunches yields the best results. Nevertheless, he points out: “It is essential that the grapes are trodden thoroughly."

A two-stage project

In the early 2000s, the Navascués family decided to go beyond their work as consultants and create a wine of their own. They partnered with Carlos San Pedro, founder and owner of Bodegas y Viñedos Pujanza in Laguardia (Rioja Alavesa), to launch a project under the name Mancuso, a reference to a coin issued in Aragon in the early 11th century. Their aim was to showcase the distinctive qualities of the old Garnacha vines in Jarque del Moncayo (Zaragoza). As the village fell outside the official boundaries of various DOs in Aragón, the wines were sold as VT Valdejalón.

The collaboration lasted until 2011. The vineyards’ remote location and the difficulty of balancing the project with the other commitments of the partners eventually led them to discontinue it.

Nevertheless, the desire to produce a high-quality wine of their own never waned. In 2015, Jorge and his father revived the Mancuso brand, keeping its focus on Garnacha but seeking a new source. “We came to Almonacid because of Mancuso,” Jorge explains. “My father has known the village since the late 1970s, and I have been helping a local producer since 1999. We had a good understanding of the area in terms of vine growing and had established excellent local ties.” Almonacid's winemaking heritage is evident in its 200-plus small traditional cellars with their respective underground caves. Many of these cellars are now often used as club premises or picnic spots.

The Navascués family initially rented a winery and bought in grapes. Gradually, they acquired some old vineyards. Today, all of their single-vineyard wines are produced using grapes from their own plots, except for the Cariñena, which they hope to acquire soon. Generally, they aim to plant as much land as they purchase. They currently own 4.5 ha.

There is a clear distinction between the entry-level brand, Cutio, and Mancuso. Cutio was originally produced at Pago de Aylés long before Mancuso was revived. However, after relocating to Almonacid de la Sierra, they decided to source Cutio from this village — the first vintage at this location was 2018. To this end, only vineyards stretching from the road up towards the mountains are used for Cutio. While the Mancuso range will move to the new winery from the 2025 vintage onwards, Cutio will continue to be made at the rented premises.

A place of its own

This new chapter of Mancuso is being undertaken jointly with Virginie Coutou, export agent and owner of Awines. Having built an impressive portfolio of Spanish and Portuguese producers, Coutou is a perfect partner for Jorge when it comes to marketing and sales. Caroline Lechanteur, a member of the Awines team, is also involved.

Jorge Navascués is very excited about the new winery. It is actually a refurbishment of one of the old bodegas in the village, complete with underground cellars. Some of the large wooden casks used in the past are still stored there, with capacities ranging from 1,000 to 6,000 litres. Interestingly, each cask bears its own name: La Preñada, La Rinconera, La Olvido, La Tardana, La Tonta, Del Abuelo, La Dolores or La Sietemesina. These underground cellars offer ideal conditions for ageing wine.

Concrete is used for both fermenting and ageing, with coated tanks reserved for whites and raw concrete for reds. A separate room  has been designated for the foudres.

Garnacha, Macabeo and a little bit of Cariñena

The range of wines reflects Garnacha's dominant role in Almonacid and, broadly, alongside the Sierra de Algairén. According to Jorge Navascués, an outbreak of powdery mildew in the 1950s led to the uprooting of Garnacha Blanca, which was replaced by Macabeo, while Cariñena, which is highly sensitive to the fungus, was also displaced in favour of Garnacha.

The white Cutio (€9, 20,000 bottles) is an excellent value Macabeo aged in concrete tanks. Although not a fruit-driven wine, it offers an unusual texture and length for the price. The 2022 vintage, from a very warm year,  shows a ripe Mediterranean profile with plenty of herbal notes and overall good balance. The red version (€9, 80,000 bottles) which includes 10% Cariñena in the blend, adds a touch of rusticity as well as liveliness. With hardly any oak influence, the 2021 vintage is quite evocative, also featuring plenty of Mediterranean herb notes.

Mancuso (€14, 15,000 bottles) is the most widely available wine within the premium range. The 2021 vintage was made using grapes from four plots located in the mid and upper sections of the village. One of these plots was used for the original Mas de Mancuso, which was released in the 2015 vintage. Two of the plots were fermented with whole bunches, while the grapes from the other two were destemmed. Ageing took place mainly in concrete (two thirds) with the remainder in wood. The stems are very well integrated and almost go unnoticed. The wine is dominated by mountain undergrowth with liqueur red fruit (sarsaparilla) in the background. This is a pure, expressive and balanced wine with a comforting texture.

The single-vineyard range, sold under the Mas de Mancuso brand, comprises two reds, one Garnacha and one Cariñena, as well as a white wine made from Macabeo. Production ranges from 3,000 to 1,200 bottles, with retail prices in Spain kept below €30. Jorge aims to showcase the quality of Garnacha grown in Sierra de Algairén while offering affordable prices to aficionados.

Mas de Mancuso Garnacha 2021 is sourced from an isolated plot of just under one hectare surrounded by almond trees. Jorge refers to it as Santiago's vineyard, a tribute to its former owner. While this is not the most elevated plot in the project, its northern exposure and proximity to the mountain mean it receives less afternoon sunlight, making it the last to be picked. Fermented entirely with stems, this is the winery's freshest red, as well as the most delicate, with floral notes and hints of pink and white pepper. While fully ripe, the palate is elegant and airy with a deep aromatic dimension of rosemary and thyme, and it has the potential to age.

Unfortunately, we were unable to taste the Cariñena as it had sold out. However, we did sample the interesting 2021 white Macabeo, fermented and aged in two 500-litre and one 300-litre barrels. The grapes are sourced from an elevated vineyard of less than one hectare, planted on slate soils. The wine has a clear Mediterranean character, with notes of ripe fruit (quince), light honey and hints of mountain herbs. With good acidity and subtle oak, this well-made Macabeo (known as Viura in Rioja) is not particularly showy, but it is truly charming and versatile at the table.