Can LeandroGabriel Sanchis
Gabriel Sanchis makes wine in Ontinyent from native varieties of the Vall d'Albaida and Terres dels Alforins. From his small family winery come authentic wines from almost-vanished native varieties. Wines that are anything but casual, and that from the outset are a total statement: of the identity of the terroir, of the characteristics of the variety and of their personality as the young growers and winemakers they are. With respect for the environment and minimal intervention in the winery.
“The land for those who work it, the wine for everyone”
Vall d'Albaida, province of Valencia. Inland area with a Mediterranean-continental climate, deeply rooted in the region. Deeply calcareous soils, of different textures and horizons, always over a limestone crust.
- Minimal intervention at the winery
- Native varieties: Monastrell, Garnacha Tintorera, Bonicaire, Merseguera, Malvasía, Tortosí, Verdil, Macabeo, Forcallà Blanca, Arcos and Garnacha
- Spontaneous fermentation
- Containers: oak barrels, stainless steel, concrete tanks
- Panxut 2024 — Red Wine, 100% Bonicaire
- La Lloma 2024 — Red Wine, 60% Bonicaire · 40% Monastrell
- Alt de les Flors 2024 — Red Wine, 90% Monastrell + Bonicaire, Arcos, Garnacha, Merseguera
- La Vella 2024 — White Wine, 80% Merseguera · 10% Malvasía · 10% Tortosí
- Les Finques 2025 — Red Wine, 60% Monastrell · 30% Garnacha · 10% Bonicaire, Merseguera
- L'Arenal 2024 — Red Wine, 80% Monastrell · Bonicaire, Garnacha, Malvasía
In this project they claim the identity of their wine-growing landscape, with its flora, its fauna, its microorganisms and all the life that belongs to it, the characteristics of the local varieties and the personality of the farmer. That is the richness of Can Leandro.
The collection at Terroir Radical
Single-plot wine, 100% Bonicaire. Old vines at 550 m, shallow sandy-loam limestone soil. 36-hour cold maceration, fermentation and maceration (25°C) with stems in a 500 L open barrel for 46 days. Malolactic fermentation in barrels. 12 months' ageing in concrete egg. Frank, direct, very personal character.
Clean cherry-red colour with slight violet hues. Frank, direct nose —cherries, wild strawberries, floral notes— with a herbaceous touch typical of sandy-limestone soils at 550 m altitude. Pure, elegant palate of great freshness, fine tannins and lively acidity. 8 months in a 500 L cask that refines the fruit without covering it. Bonicaire in its most honest state. 92 pts Robert Parker.
Estate wine from La Lloma Rasa, between 500 and 550 m altitude. Bonicaire grows on sandy-loam soil and Monastrell on clay-sand above a very calcareous crust. Alcoholic fermentation (24–26°C) with whole grapes in stainless steel for 20 days. Ageing for 8 months in large barrels and concrete. Direct, balanced and very fresh.
Almost translucent cherry-red colour, morello. Mineral, lively nose —red fruit, earth, iron notes and an untamed character— Bonicaire in carbonic maceration (100% whole bunches), Monastrell with 30% whole bunches. Fresh, structured palate, medium body, marked acidity. Long, clean finish. Vines from 1946 and 1979. Quality comparable to a good-vintage Bierzo. 93 pts Wine Advocate.
Single-plot wine from La Lloma Rasa, north-west facing, on shallow albariza of white calcareous sandstone. 90% Monastrell with Bonicaire, Arcos, Garnacha and Merseguera. Aged 8 months in 2,000 L foudre and 4 months in concrete egg. Serious, elegant, with very good balance and freshness. The wine that best expresses Can Leandro's terroir.
Pale cherry red, surprisingly translucent. Fresh, mineral nose — red fruit, violets, notes of white stone and warm terroir —, unexpected in a Mediterranean area. Broad yet fresh palate, fine and very clean tannins, present acidity. Monastrell from 1946 vines on very white limestone soils (albariza) at 90% varietal representation: a wine that breaks all the clichés of the variety. 94 pts Robert Parker.
White wine from the La Venta Vella estate, at 620 m altitude. Old bush vines on 3.5 ha over shallow white-limestone albariza. Direct pressing without destemming, alcoholic fermentation 33 days in stainless steel (22–25°C), 8 months ageing in concrete tank. 80% Merseguera, 10% Malvasía, 10% Tortosí. Fresh, vibrant and balanced.
Pale yellow colour with greenish reflections. Nose of white flowers, pear and peach with fresh mineral notes. Delicate, fresh palate, good acidity and light salinity on the aftertaste. A blend of five native Valencian white varieties —Merseguera, Malvasia, Tortosí, Verdil and Forcalla Blanca— that expresses the terroir genuinely.
The village wine. Grapes from five estates in Ontinyent, between the shaded and sunny slopes, with 22 ha of old bush vines averaging 40 years. 60% Monastrell, 30% Garnacha, 10% Bonicaire and Merseguera. 36-hour cold maceration, 15-day whole-cluster fermentation without temperature control. 5 months' ageing in concrete. Refreshing, balanced and very juicy. 2025 harvest: dry winter, very rainy spring (500 L between March and May); hail on 17 July cut the harvest by 50%, but grape quality was excellent.
Intense purple-red colour. Complex nose of ripe black fruit, floral touches and black spices with scrubland notes. Full, generous palate, ripe tannins and good structure. Warm, persistent finish. A blend of four native Valencian varieties on limestone soils.
Single-site wine from L'Arenal de Pola, along the Clariano river, at 550 m. Poor silty-sandy soils over a limestone crust 2 m deep. 80% Monastrell with Bonicaire, Garnacha and Malvasía. Fermentation and maceration (26°C) in concrete, 35 days, with 40% stems. Ageing: 8 months in a 2,000 L concrete egg and two 600 L barrels; then 4 months in a 2,000 L oak foudre. Tasty, fresh and balanced.
Deep purple-red colour. Nose of ripe black fruit, cherries in jam, smoky notes and a light minerality. Powerful, opulent palate, medium-to-full body, ripe tannins and warmth. Persistent, spicy finish. A single-plot Monastrell accompanied by Bonicaire, Arcos, Garnacha and Merseguera.