Winemaker Notes
Bright ruby in color. On the nose, forest floor and blue flowers; it is clean and penetrating. On the palate, it is energetic and fruity, with delicate and fresh tannins. A wine full of power and authenticity.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Oyster shells, mussels, ripe strawberries and cherries. Some Mediterranean spices, too. Really flavorful and juicy on the palate with very abundant and silky tannins. Long, fruit-oriented finish. Lots of vibrancy!
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Pasos de San Martín was produced with Garnacha from the cooler zone of San Martín de Unx in Navarra where they have 11 hectares of 40-year-old vines on a southeast exposure where the soils are rich in limestone and silt. It's ripe, reflecting the warm and dry year, hitting the scale at 14.7% alcohol but keeping a low-ish pH of 3.42. It's an aromatic and expressive Garnacha with elegance, floral notes and hints of ripe fruit. It's fine-boned and has elegant tannins.
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.
Just north of Spain’s famous Rioja region, Navarra excels in the production of full and fruit-dominant reds and good quality, dry rosés. Garnacha holds most of the land under vine, with Tempranillo coming in second place.