| Country: | Spain |
| Region: | Calatayud |
| Winery: | Bodegas Virgen de la Sierra |
| Grape Type: | Garnacha |
| Organic: | Yes |
| Vintage: | 2014 |
| Bottle Size: | 900 ml |
Tres Ojos Garnacha Calatayud is made from 100 percent 85% Old Vine Garnacha (40-50 year old vines) and 15% Tempranillo.
The wine has a brick red color with a bouquet of red raspberries, spice and white pepper. The palate is incredibly concentrated and rich. The modern styles of Garnacha in Spain are continuously being perceived worldwide as wines of extraordinarily good quality. This wine is fruity, juicy and shows a great depth, ripe tannins, length but yet with wonderful elegance and lightness.
The wine ferments for 7 days at 30ºC, followed by 14 days maceration on the skins. Aged 12 months in large stainless steel vats. Cold stabilized and lightly filtered before bottling
Enjoy with sausages, roasted meats, aged cheeses etc.
El Cismatico Garnacha is 100% Garnacha.
The wine is produced from 3 single vineyards: El Mimbreral, Piedra Blanca, Cerro Merino - situated between 850 to 900 meters high. These parcels share the same geological characteristics of pebble stones, red clay, marl and limestone which impart a precise and floral profile to the Garnacha grape that has achieved a balanced acidity and a low pH.
The grapes were harvested into 20 kg cases and fermented together in cement with gentle punching down only. Afterwards a long maceration occurred and malolactic fermentation took place on skins. After pressing the wine remained sur lie in 500 liter fine-grained French oak barrels for 12 months.
El Cismatico offers an intense ruby red in color. The nose is still very youthful, deep and complex with aromas changing every minute. Its starts out with notes of roasted meat, beets, wild red fruit, cloves, pepper. Little by little, as the wine opens the nose displays touches of crushed violets, pencil lead, black cherry and a light touch of mountain herbs. Fine, elegant and bold, the ripe fruit is exquisitely balanced by fresh acidity achieved from growing Garnacha at altitude. The tannin is firm but polished with an extremely long finish. Drinking 2022 and onwards for many years.
Review:
-James Suckling 96 Points
-Tim Atkin 95 Points
-Decanter World Wine Awards 95 Points
-Luis Gutiérrez (Robert Parker) 95 Points
Figaro Tinto Calatayud is 100% Garnacha, made from a selection of the best grapes grown in the oldest vineyards. While not truly an "oaked wine", a short stay in oak barrels provides a nice spicy flavor boost.
Tasting notes: Bright violet. Dark berry and cherry aromas show a jammy aspect. Supple and gently sweet, with good lift to its black raspberry and boysenberry flavors. Smooth and broad on the finish, leaving behind a hint of spiciness. Extremely easy to drink and an excellent value.
Tres Ojos Rosado Calatayud is fresh, crisp and juicy Rose made of 50% Garnacha and 50% Tempranillo displaying beautiful strawberry and raspberry fruits.
Enjoy with salads, chicken or simply with a glass. Serve chilled.
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Bodegas Alto Moncayo Aquilon Garnacha is made from 100% Garnacha.
The wines of Alto Moncayo are crafted to express the unique terroir of windswept high elevation Campo de Borja DO; and to serve as a benchmark for world class Old Vine Garnacha.
Aquilón is "The jewel in the Crown" a selection of the best barrels from the best lots. The vines are 60-100 years old.
Review:
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.
-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
About the Vineyard
Vineyards in Tabuenca and Borja, planted with indegenous clones of Garnacha starting in the 1920s.
Wine Production
The selected highest quality grapes are placed into small stainless-steel tanks of 7 tons capacity. The must is basket pressed and fermentation is finished in new French and American oak where it complets the malolactic fermentation. Wine is aged in the barrels for 24 months before bottling.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Very deep red, scarlet rim
Aroma: Minerals and vanilla. Hints of raisins and dark Chocolate
Palate: As typical of the vintage, power and intensity with disarming elegance.
Food Pairing:
Goes well with beef, pork, game based stews and rice dishes.
Closeout!
ALBADA Garnacha is a young wine from very-old Grenache vines. Stress on the fruit intensity to express a true Garnacha and the terroir of origin. This is a young and fun yet very complex wine. The wine spent eight months in contact with its own lees in American Oak Barrels.
Intense ruby color with garnet and purple hues. The aromas are intense with a great varietal expression. We have a lot of red and black berries, with some notes of spice, well integrated with vanilla and leather components coming from the barrel aging in American Oak. The wine is structured and has a very nice mouthfeel, but the tannins are soft and the finish is long.
Review:
Violet color. Fruity, inviting aromas and flavors of vanilla toffee, chocolate cherry bon bons, strawberry jam on toast, and bacon with a satiny, tangy, fruity medium-to-full body and a compelling, medium-length dark roasted nuts, borscht, cacao nibs, and cedar finish. A rock solid garnacha with appealing fruit flavors. 90 Point Beverage Tasting Institute
Bodegas Virgen de la Sierra Estate
Founded in 1954, Virgen de la Sierra is a grape growers co-op with 579 members, and 710 hectares (1,753 acres) of vines growing at 750 meters above sea level. The average age of the vines is close to 40 years. The principal grape variety is Garnacha (60%). Others include Macabeo or Viura (20%) and Tempranillo (16%), with the remaining 4% being a mix of experimental varieties: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay.
The region's semi-arid climate and high altitude make for ideal growing conditions for quality Garnacha and Macabeo grapes. Hot dry summers, with a sharp shift in daytime to nighttime temperatures let grapes reach full ripeness, while maintaining good levels of acidity. The red iron-rich oils are rocky, with a mix of sand and gravel and a low amount of organic material. A thick clay subsoil helps retain moisture through the long dry summer months.
J Lohr Signature Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Cabernet Franc 6% Saint Macaire 4% Petit Verdot 4% Malbec.
J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon was first produced to honor the 80th birthday of founder Jerry Lohr. This limited release was specially selected and blended from the exceptional 2016 vintage in Paso Robles. It is both a tribute to Jerry's pioneering efforts in the region and our red wine portfolio's ultimate expression of Cabernet Sauvignon. VINEYARDS & CELLAR Beck Vineyard, in the Creston District of Paso Robles, is a unique, high elevation site that sits at 1,700 feet above the early morning fog line. Its calcareous soils and cooling afternoon winds are perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet from this vineyard ripens early with excellent color, purity of fruit, and phenolic maturity. Incorporation of Cabernet Franc brings freshness to the blend, while the rare Bordeaux variety, Saint Macaire, brings density and a savory character. Petit Verdot and Malbec add structure, color, and a component of bright fruit. The hand-harvested grapes were held separate at harvest and berry-sorted into six-ton open top tanks for fermentation. Maceration took place on the skins for five days, before early pressing to achieve ideal tannin extraction. Aged 19 months in 100% new French oak from coopers Nadalie and Sylvain.
Review:
-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
Luis Canas Reserva Seleccion de la Familia is made from 85% Tempranillo and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The family reserve from one of Rioja Alavesa's most enduring family-run wineries, drawn from a selection of old-vine grapes chosen for good orientation, sun exposure and poor soils that keep yields low. It is one of very few Riojas to blend Cabernet Sauvignon with Tempranillo — Bodegas Luis Canas was granted permission by the D.O.Ca. to plant the variety as an experiment in the early 1980s.
Brilliant garnet with cherry hints at the rim. A complex nose of very ripe berry fruit, smoky notes, raisin and liqueur, opening with air to cinnamon, jam and, in time, roasted and spiced aromas. The palate is full, with a good presence of tannins offset by a glycerine-like, fleshy character; long, lingering finish.
Winemaking: 72-hour cold maceration, fermentation at 26°C in sealed cement tanks under thermal control with daily pump-overs; spontaneous malolactic after devatting by gravity. Aged 20 months in 50% medium-toast American and 50% French oak, then clarified with a little natural egg white, decanted, and bottled unfiltered under the highest-quality corks.
Review:
"Made from Tempranillo and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2020 Rioja Reserva Seleccion de la Familia is supple, textured, and complex, with an unmistakable herbaceous note…"
- Jeb Dunnuck, 93 points