Winemaker Notes
100% organic, Garnacha Tintorera from vineyards of more than 25 years.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Intense aromas of blackberry, black pepper and black walnut follow through to a full body with chewy tannins and a lightly austere finish. I like the contrast of juicy fruit and chewy tannins. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.
-
Wine Enthusiast
A nose of black cherry, dried hillside herbs and a hint of smoke leads the way for Mission fig, raspberry, aniseed, clove, dried thyme and cocoa flavors. Opulent tannins peel away to reveal a bright, cranberry-splashed finish
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Ternario 2 is pure Garnacha Tintorera from a large plot of ungrafted 22-year-old vines on clay and limestone soils at 750 meters above sea level. Part of the grapes from this large plot are used for this wine and other parts for the Ternario 10. It fermented in concrete with part of full clusters and had a long maceration. It matured in an oak vat and used 225-, 300- and 500-liter oak barrels for 10 months. This has a lot less oak than the 2017 and is more approachable and expressive. It has nice aromatics, with some flowers and Mediterranean herbs, and a chalky texture with the vibrant sensation and added freshness of the 2018 vintage. It combines some dusty tannins and juicy fruit. These are impressive Garnacha Tintorera bottlings with unusual finesse. 20,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2020.
Rating: 91(+)
The most famous of the rare, red-fleshed grape varieties, Alicante Bouschet is known as a Teinturier grape. While most red grapes have red skin but clear flesh or pulp, the French, Alicante Bouschet and the Georgian (country) variety called, Saperavi, both have red. These make intensely hued, full-bodied red wines that take to oak well and can stand some time in the cellar. Somm Secret—While originally the product of a French crossing (Petit Bouschet and Grenache) of the late 1800s, today Alicante Bouchet grows widely in Spain and is gaining notoriety in Portugal.
The Moors gave it the name, ‘Manxa,’ which fittingly means ‘parched earth.’ La Mancha, the largest Spanish wine producing region in all of Spain, is one of its hottest and driest. Sturdy and drought-resistant white varieietes like Airen, Viura and Verdejo thrive in this environment.