2023 · Ad Libitum Maturana Tinta

Juan Carlos Sancha is an independent Rioja producer based in Baños de Río Tobía, in the Alto Najerilla, where he makes small-production wines from centenary vineyards and distinctive local plots. Owner, winemaker and University of La Rioja enology professor, Sancha works with Fernando Martínez de Toda to recover endangered indigenous varieties including Maturana Tinta, Maturana Blanca and Monastel, alongside Garnacha and Tempranillo Blanco. Organic certification, hand harvesting and minimal-intervention winemaking reflect a commitment to biodiversity, soil and vineyard heritage; sulfite-free wines are also made. The wines seek to express the fresh, high-altitude terroir of the Alto Najerilla honestly, with the Ad Libitum range focused on minority varieties and other bottlings celebrating Garnacha from historic vineyards.