Bodegas 2L (DO Valencia)

Colin Harkness

A recent three-week spell in hospital, supporting my poor wife and her infected broken leg is a rather roundabout way of learning of a new bodega – I mean hospitals equal health; alcohol generally doesn’t! Furthermore, the hospital in question, La Fe, in Valencia, is not only an internationally recognised leader in the Infectious Diseases Department (no doubt other Depts. as well) it’s also, it seems to me, a paragon of healthy lifestyle too.

Unlike our local hospital in Denia, there is no alcohol of any type for sale in all of the cafeterias, nor in the many food and drink dispensing machines at La Fe. Indeed, those machines (always working btw, and easy to pay by card) stock mostly healthy products. The nearest thing to alcohol is bottled alcohol free beers – which for me, just don’t cut it.

So, I was a bit naughty – but come on, three weeks without a glass of wine, well it’s asking too much! So, I smuggled in a few bottles. It must have been noticed by the nurses and ancillary staff, part of wine’s attraction is its bouquet, maybe the Doctors too? Nobody said anything and one day, just in case, I told one of the nurses, Mari Carmen, that I was a wine writer etc and therefore wine was part of my professional work.

As it happens I chose exactly the right nurse! Mari Carmen is a close friend of people behind a new winery in the Valencia region making wine under the DO Valencia label, perhaps I would like to contact them?! After a brief look at Bodegas 2L website and their postings on Instagram I contacted them. Their wines looked interesting and their project intriguing.

A quick response from Luis followed and off we went. Yes, Luis is one of the Ls in Bodegas 2L, the other, his brother, Lucas. The two brothers have worked with vines since they were old enough to help in the vineyards, all the time learning from the two generations that had preceded them. All this time they were conscious of the fact that in their mountainous Aras de los Olmos area there were vines of the indigenous Merseguera which were over 50 years old, producing rich grapes at an altitude of 1100 metres above sea level.

In 2019 they decided that they would make a wine from these very old Merseguera vines with a view to bringing attention to the possibilities of such high-altitude viticulture and resultant winemaking. Bodegas 2L was born making just one wine, the eponymous 2L Merseguera 2019. Their vision was rewarded, fine dry white wine, rich, lengthy with a freshness that others can’t manage was made – and sold out!

In 2023 they added two more wines, Jolines and Rechiruela, using the same old vines but with a view to highlighting some of the different expressions of which Merseguera is capable. Well, I’ve tasted the three very different wines and, my friends, I can tell you they have succeeded yet again! The problem was that it was a small production, therefore Bodegas 2L wines were not easily found.

Don’t worry though the whole project is currently developing. More Merseguera vines have been sourced and, looking to the future, further land has been acquired for planting new vines of different types. The focus is on indigenous grape varieties – Bobal (I can’t wait to taste these wines!), Mencía (yes, known to me from DO Bierzo) and Morabio (a variety with which I’m not familiar at all – but, with winemaking like this, I would like to be!)

But that’s not all – Luis and Lucas are aware of the commercial possibilities and there are plans to extend their range of varieties concentrating on those vines which they believe can adapt to the, at times, harsh environment. Plus, in the Losilla de Aras, they plan to build a bodega where they will also host wine tourism, explaining their philosophy of low intervention wine making with a view to producing singular wines which are able give an honest expression of the grape varieties used and of the environment and the soil in which the vines are growing – the terroir.

Let’s start at the beginning – 2L Merseguera Ecológica 2025 (the original 2019 has all gone!) Pale straw coloured, the first note on the nose is a ripe Granny Smith apple with a little citrus but also a little white flower note and perhaps a faint crude almond aroma. Fresh as a mountain stream, it does have quite a high abv, 14% Alc and has body on the palate with a long, dry finish. I enjoyed it over a couple of days (giving an idea of how long such a wine can be kept before it starts to fade) as an aperitif as well with chopitos, a fish dish and Manchego cheese. It worked very well at only 8€.

Los Jolines 2024 (19€, and worth it!) was probably my favourite of the three, though it was a close call. It’s made by carbonic maceration in traditional cement tanks. In the glass it’s a pale gold and really looks inviting! On the nose there is a slightly more floral note than on the first wine tasted and over a little time it opens up with a ripe peach or apricot aroma, yet very dry. Arriving late there is a little reference to aromas of nuts, perhaps hazelnut? It has some some body on the palate and a lovely silky mouthfeel. On the finish there is a very slight bitterness, making it a fine white wine to enjoy with dinner.

Rechiruela 2024 13.5% Alc is drinking very well right now – and it has some time on its side, too. This is one you can buy now (15€), enjoy a bottle and then lay a few down. Try again in six months, a year and probably up to two years. It should be a fascinating comparison!

You see, this wine has had some special treatment – it’s had some lees ageing, giving a very slight creaminess on the palate, as well as a few months in wood – but that’s not just French oak, it’s Acacia too. On the nose a very faint whiff of toffee apple, then citrus notes, light papaya tropical fruit aromas including some lemongrass and mountain water freshness. Then on the finish you’ll find some apple too! Slight bitter finish, it’s full but dry. We loved it with a chicken dish!

So, there you have it – Bodegas 2L. I suggest you look out for their wines and over time with the project developing as detailed above, you should find them more easily.

You can contact Luis and Lucas here: 2lvinosaltoturia@gmail.com

Thank you for reading – any comments most welcome: colinharkness53@gmail.com

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