Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A custom cuvée made by importer Eric Solomon, the 2016 Garnacha Old Vines from Espelt is 100% Garnatxa Negra (the indigenous variety of Grenache), from old vines and higher elevation vineyards, that spent 4 months in new French oak. Plums, violets, incense, flowers, and white pepper notes give way to a plump, ripe, sexy red that has good acidity and freshness, as well as a wet stone-like minerality that emerges on the palate. Drink this perfumed, exotic, fruit forward effort anytime over the coming 2-4 years.
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.