Luis XIV

In 2017, David Carbonell of Vins del Comtat and two local families living in the village of Cañada, Alicante, Spain, founded a winery they call Luis XIV. Surprisingly, its roots date back to the 1500s.

In the 1960s, a centuries-old winery ceased operations. Within the closed cellar were 25 barrels of wine more than 100 years old, forgotten for more than 60 years. Inside the barrels was Fondillon de Alicante, one of the most sought-after and expensive wines in the world during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It was loved by King Louis XIV of France and other 16th and 17th-century monarchs.

The Alicante Designation of Origin has special conditions for obtaining high-grade wines. Thanks to its dry summers and its native Monastrell variety, its wines achieved international fame and have won many awards.

Fondillon de Alicante grapes can only be from your oldest Monastrell bush vines within the Alicante DOP. Producers must inform the DOP before harvesting, which vineyards they will allocate to Fondillón, and it is only done over the years when harvests are expected to yield probable natural alcohol greater than 16 percent. Because Monastrell grown here has high natural acidity, some compare Fondillón to Madeira.

Luis XIV vineyards are 1,800 to 1,900 feet above sea level and enjoy a Mediterranean climate with great marine influence due to the easterly winds. Grapes are crushed using the traditional “Lagar” (foot pressing) technique. Aging is in 19th-century American Oak for a minimum of ten years or more.