Summary
Bodegas Piqueras in Almansa is the flagship of one of Spain's smallest and least-known appellations: DO Almansa in the south-east of Castilla-La Mancha. The family winery, founded in 1915 and now run by the fourth generation, produces around 70% of the appellation's wines according to widely cited figures. At its heart are the local red varieties Garnacha Tintorera – the red-fleshed Alicante Bouschet – and Monastrell, which ripen on limestone-rich high plateaus into dark, spicy yet fresh wines. Its best-known label since 1972 is the Castillo de Almansa range, which stands for honest, well-aged reds at fair prices.
History
The winery's story begins in 1915: Luis Piqueras López makes his own wine in a small bodega in the hamlet of Los Aljibes and sells it in bulk, not yet bottled. A lottery win in 1927 makes it possible to buy land in Almansa – the foundation of today's business. In 1951 Mario Bonete García marries into the family; under him the first hundred or so bottles are filled by hand in 1954, followed by the winery's own bottling line in 1961.
A milestone comes in 1972, when the Castillo de Almansa brand is launched; the first barrel cellar is built shortly afterwards. In 1975 Mario Bonete wins Spain's national wine tasters' championship – proof of the family's sensory expertise. The third generation, led by Juan Pablo and Ángel Bonete Piqueras, expands the house: in 2001 the Los Timonares estate with over 100 hectares is acquired, and in 2003 a new winery of around 7,000 square metres with a capacity of about three million litres opens. Piqueras celebrates its centenary in 2015, and in 2017 the roughly 300-hectare El Vínculo estate is added. Today the fourth generation – Pablo, Javier and Miguel Bonete – works in the business.
Location & Terroir
Almansa lies in the south-east of the province of Albacete, where the Castilian plateau meets the Levante – only around 60 kilometres from the Mediterranean at Alicante. This in-between position shapes the climate: continental, with hot, dry summers and cold winters, but with a noticeable Mediterranean influence. The vineyards sit at roughly 700 to over 900 metres, which brings cool nights and with them freshness and colour stability in the grapes.
The soils are predominantly limestone-rich and stony, often poor and dry. The late-ripening Monastrell and the deeply coloured Garnacha Tintorera thrive here in particular. A treasure of the region are its old vines, some of which are considered ungrafted (pie franco) – that is, never grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstocks.
Style & Philosophy
Piqueras sees itself as an ambassador for the Almansa appellation and relies consistently on local grape varieties. Garnacha Tintorera delivers inky, juicy wines with notes of blackberry and plum, while Monastrell adds spice, structure and Mediterranean herbal notes. The spectrum is rounded out by Syrah, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as white varieties such as Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc.
Stylistically, the range runs from uncomplicated, fruit-forward Joven to classically oak-aged Crianzas, Reservas and Gran Reservas. More than 3,000 oak barrels are available for ageing, and large wooden casks are also used. The Reserva wines typically spend over a year in French oak. Alongside this, the younger generation has introduced single selections from old, ungrafted vines, designed to express the terroir of Almansa even more precisely.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range is divided into several lines that reflect the winery's breadth:
- Castillo de Almansa – the traditional brand since 1972, from Roble to Reserva and Gran Reserva, mostly blends of Monastrell, Garnacha Tintorera, Tempranillo and Syrah
- Los Losares – selections from ungrafted vines (pie franco), single-varietal Garnacha Tintorera and Monastrell
- Piqueras – varietally focused wines, including an old-vine Garnacha Tintorera
- Valcanto, Marius, El Abuelo, Gen One and The Old Brick Factory – further brands of the house for different styles and markets
Key vineyard holdings are the Los Timonares and El Vínculo estates in the Almansa area.
Awards
Piqueras is one of the few producers to have given DO Almansa a face beyond Spain. Its wines are exported to more than 25 countries and are regularly recognised in Spanish and international wine guides and competitions; the Castillo de Almansa Reserva in particular is repeatedly recommended by critics as a value buy. The family also carries a special distinction in its history with Mario Bonete's tasting title from 1975 – and, with more than a century of continuity, has played a major part in Garnacha Tintorera from Almansa now being recognised as a style of its own.
