Winemaker Notes
‘Aquilon’ is the jewel in the crown, a selection of the best: the best areas and the best barrels from those areas. It is a 100% Garnacha wine from 60 to 100 year-old vines, and aged for 24 months in new barrels. A powerful fulsome wine in the mouth, fleshy and fresh, with a great concentration of flavor and excellent balance; it is like “tasting the very essence of the Garnacha grape".
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This garnet-colored wine offers aromas of black currant, black raspberry and black licorice, with just a touch of charcuterie. The fruit flavors shine through with subtle notes of crushed violet. It has soft tannic structure, with a pleasant bit of grippiness in the post palate as it leads up to the long, long, finish.
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Wine Spectator
A polished red, medium- to full-bodied and expressive, this shows fine harmony overall, integrating sculpted, fine-grained tannins and lively acidity with rich and juicy blackberry and boysenberry fruit, dark chocolate shavings, graphite and eucalyptus. Features lingering hints of vanilla, spice and orange peel on the finish. Drink now
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James Suckling
A rich and compact garnacha that shows some melted chocolate and roasted chestnuts to the blueberries and red-berry fruit. Medium to full body on the palate with juicy berries and fine-grained tannins. More opulent than most, but not overdone. Long, juicy and expressive finish despite the 16% alcohol.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
Campo de Borja DO sits in the northwest province of Zaragoza (Aragon, Spain) south of Rioja and north of Cariñena. Since this area acquired DO status in the 1980s, it has gradually shown its own unique identity. Campo de Borja’s winegrowing history and heritage is rich in relation to Garnacha; the oldest vineyards in the DO date back to 1890. Furthermore, of the almost 4,000 hectares of this variety, more than 2,000 are between 30 and 50 years old.
Most production continues to be reds, and the number of crianzas and reservas is growing. Though less common, they produce white wines as well. Today, both red and rosé wines have won the respect of experts, and the intensely fruity, young red wines enjoy significant commercial success. The principal white grape varieties are Macabeo, Moscatel, Chardonnay, Garnacha Blanca, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo. The principal red grape varieties include Garnacha Tinta, Tempranillo, Syrah, Mazuela, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.