Winemaker Notes
Similar to its "little" sibling, La Bruja, Rozas 1er Cru is a lithe and winsome example of mountain Garnacha, but with a deeper minerality and slightly firmer tannin, hence the Burgundian inspired name.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Fragrant grapefruit and blood orange characters with a splash of Mediterranean herbs and white pepper. Scented, almost floral and a little brambly, but very vulnerable and sensitive. On the palate, this has firm, chalky tannins, with fine berry fruit and a long, bone-dry finish, yet it is not too austere. Such a beauty! Irresistible now, but can hold, too.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 La Bruja de Rozas is their edgiest and most austere mineral and soil-driven version of their entry-level red. It's herbal, with no concession for fruit, and it has electricity and grip. It's a good preview of what's to come from 2021. It has a lot of 2018 and 2016 characteristics, a cool summer, a year with rain and even some during harvest that complicated matters and made them lose some grapes, but there's more grip, more minerality, more depth, layers and subtleness. It needs time in the glass, and my guess is that at age eight it's going to reach an outstanding level. A grown-up Bruja, it’s more for soil fanatics than the general public, and it’s one to lay down in your cellar (by the case) while you drink your 2020s.
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Vinous
The 2021 Rozas 1er Cru is 100% Garnacha from a Vino de Paraje in Valle Sur, Sierra de Gredos. Fermented with whole clusters, it presents sour cherry, herbal tones, orange peel and a touch of cherry over a delicate profile. A hint of chocolate-orange emerges with air. Grippy yet delicate, it has a lightly aqueous feel and a touch of fruit, gaining depth and definition on the finish. This modern red avoids the region’s sun-driven style in favor of varietal expression.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.