Neleman best-rated Bobal wine at Decanter

We founded Neleman 11.5 years ago, and we began making our own wine in Casas del Rey, Valencia, Spain. The conditions for making good wine were largely already there: old vines, some as old as 100 years old. The poor soil is among the oldest in Europe; dinosaurs roamed here in the distant past.   

Outsider
Wines from well-known wine regions like Ribera del Duero, Rioja, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Tuscany are generally rated higher by wine connoisseurs and wine writers. The same goes for more well-known grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Our local Bobal grape is an outsider in that respect.   

Like Pinot Noir, Bobal is a difficult grape to make excellent wine from, but it is absolutely possible. In the past, Bobal was primarily used for blending with other wines, such as Merlot. The grape has an enormously thick skin, and if you don't press it correctly, you get a very tannic and tart wine.  We don't press mechanically, but use only the first juice released by the weight of the grapes. This actually produces a very fruity wine.   

Climate change poses many challenges for viticulture
In our region, summers are also lasting longer, and the really hot parts of summer are also hotter and longer. It's wonderful to see that the bobal grape can withstand this relatively well.  When we took over the winery, we set ourselves the goal of making the best possible wine with Bobal, and that it would be among the best in Spain. As a Dutch and Spanish team, we were often looked at strangely for wanting to do this with this particular grape. After 10 years, we can prove everybody wrong!   

What have we accomplished over the past 10 years?
- Renovated and made the winery more sustainable with the help of our co-owners (5,000).
- We've started producing exclusively Neleman wine in Casas del Rey (we previously also produced wine for others here).
- We've become a member of International Wineries for Climate Action.
- We've further focused on old vines and quality.
- We've adjusted our pruning methods under the guidance of top winemakers from Spain.
- We've improved our land management.
- We've said goodbye to many suppliers who use grapes that aren't from our own land.
- We've adopted an extremely clean approach.
- We've partially aged our wine in 1800-liter concrete eggs (which gives the effect of a wooden wine barrel without the vanilla from the wood and allows for more contact with the yeast through the movement of the wine due to the barrel's shape).
- We've used extremely high-quality wooden wine barrels (T5), which you can only purchase if you have a certain reputation (also used by top wineries like Vega Sicilia and Dominio de Pingus).
- We've applied modern techniques in collaboration with the Wine Luthier laboratory, founded by our former winemaker Diego Fernándes.
Last but not least, the supervision of our incredibly talented and passionate winemaker, Jorge Monfort Salvador, who ensures we do the right things every step of the way.  

My personal influence?
My contribution is perseverance and a radical approach to this project. However challenging it may have been at times, staying on course and not deviating from the goal: exceptional quality, thereby motivating the team.   Valencia has now been massively discovered as a tourist attraction, and Bobal deserves to be seen as a grape variety capable of producing top-notch wines that rival the very best wines from Spain. It took a lot of work and patience to get here, and I'm incredibly proud of the entire Neleman team who contributed. It's a dream come true for me, and it's fantastic to see that Decanter considers our Bobal the best Bobal.   

Who has tasted our Bobal so far?   
- Decanter World Wine Awards 2025: Silver (Oolong vintage 2022) With 94/100 points, the best Bobal rated by Decanter in 2025 and the best Bobal from Valencia!

- De Grote Hamersma Grade: 9 (Oolong vintage 2021) "Impressive red. Sultry plums, sun-ripened cherries in a wicker basket, relaxed and depilated raspberries, sweet spices whispering over cedarwood, nail-free tannins, and a finish that just can't seem to say goodbye."   

- 92/100 points James Suckling (Oolong vintage 2021)   

- 91/100 points Wine Enthusiast (Oolong vintage 2021)   

- De Grote Hamersma: 9- (Robusta vintage 2021) "A very ripe Bobal aged in oak. Impressive. This muscular, powerful wine overwhelms with ripe dark fruit, spices, cocoa, coffee, and wood. However, we know from experience that with closer inspection, and by letting it sit for a little longer, more and more exciting nuances can be discovered in the following days."   

- 93/100 points Wine Enthusiast - Best Buy! (Robusta vintage 2021)   

- Mundus Vini 2025: Gold medal (Robusta vintage 2021)   

- Gold medal Wines From Spain Awards (Robusta vintage 2021)   

- Gold medal Berlin Wine Trophy (Robusta vintage 2021)   

- James Suckling: 91/100 points (Robusta vintage 2021)   

- Master of Wine Cees van Casteren (Robusta vintage 2018): "Better and more hedonistic than many Rioja or Ribera. Respect."   

- Master of Wine Jancis Robinson: 17/20 (Robusta, vintage 2018) “Old-vine Bobal. Vinified in concrete eggs and large French oak casks. Modern style. Expressive nose showing violets and well-ripened black fruits, together with noble oak, vanilla and cedar. On the palate, it has appealing acidity, firm tannins and generous intensity of flavors, displaying ripe plums in the background. Very controlled bitterness on the aftertaste. I can see great aging potential here.”   

- Robert Parker Wine Advocate 91/100 points (Robusta vintage 2018) “The palate is solid and seamless, with abundance, slightly dusty tannins and a dry, long finish. Very good Bobal!”   

- Master of Wine Tim Atkin 93/100 points (Robusta vintage 2017)