Why it matters
The producer
Fernando Mora had been building wind turbines for a living when he decided he wanted to make wine. He bought a home kit and set up fermentation temperature control in his bathtub using bags of ice. That was the laboratory. He passed the WSET Diploma in 2013 and became a Master of Wine two years after that. By 2010 he had already made the first Frontonio wine alongside oenologist Mario López, in the López family winery in Épila, directly behind the small shop where López's mother sold bulk wine by the litre to locals.
Frontonio is named for Saint Frontonio, the patron saint of Épila, a figure whose legend involves swimming against the current. The name was chosen before either founder had a building to work in.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Valdejalón is not a DO. It holds IGP status, which gives Frontonio label freedom that a stricter appellation designation would not allow, and that flexibility matters for a range built around elevation variation and mixed-grape co-plantings. The IGP sits within Aragón, in the province of Zaragoza, between the Iberian mountain ranges and the Ebro valley.
Elevation is the defining variable. Frontonio's vineyards run from 300 metres on the valley floor to 1,030 metres on slate at the top of the estate. At the higher elevations, the continental climate sharpens: cold nights slow ripening, retain acidity naturally, and produce grapes with less fruit weight than the valley. Lower parcels need more intervention, earlier picking, and whole-bunch work to hold freshness. The mountain parcels arrive with it already in place.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
All 65 hectares are goblet-trained and dry-farmed. Goblet training without irrigation produces low yields and concentrates flavour in the berry. Dry farming forces the roots down and keeps the vine in balance with the site rather than with the tap. Organic certification across the full estate since 2022 means no synthetic inputs anywhere in the range.
In the cellar, the 200-year-old building in Alpartir works by gravity across three levels. Fruit goes in at the top and moves down through fermentation and into vessel without mechanical pumping, which reduces oxidation and physical stress on the must. Fermentation vessels include large-format foudres, 500-litre barrels, and cement vats. The cement vats keep temperature stable without the oxygen exchange that wood provides, and they are the primary vessel for the Microcosmico. The Supersónico goes into 500-litre barrels for 14 months after 70 days of maceration. Minimal intervention across the range means no heavy fining or filtration.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range divides into two observable layers: wines made to drink early and wines tied to specific parcels, elevations, and vine ages.
Supersónico Garnacha is the flagship red. Ninety-year-old vines at 1,030 metres on slate, with small amounts of co-planted Macabeo fermented in alongside the Garnacha. One hundred percent whole bunches, 70 days of maceration, 14 months in 500-litre barrels. It undergoes 70 days of maceration and ages for 14 months in 500-litre barrels. It is the most structured wine in the range and the one that asks for the most time.