Garnacha – Undervalued Jewel of Spain
Grenache noir, or Garnacha in Spanish, has gone under the radar for a long time. Granted, it’s the main variety in the great wines of Châteauneuf du Pape and the GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre) blends of the southern Rhone wines but it’s only more recently gained prominence as a stand-alone single varietal red grape. It thrives in hot, dry conditions also found in Sardinia (as Cannonau), the south of France, Australia and in Monterey, Paso Robles and the San Joaquin valley in California. So Grenache/Garnacha surely has a promising future as growers seek to combat climate change.
As a single varietal, it fits within the same broad category as lighter-bodied wines such as Pinot Noir and Etna Rosso (Nerello Mascalese) while lacking the tannins of the former and the acidity of the latter. Typical flavours include ripe raspberries and strawberries with a touch of white pepper spice. Grenache wines tend to be no more than medium-bodied and often have a pale ruby colour although deeper hues can come from longer maceration (for example in Rioja). In Spain, ultra-low yielding bush vines (which often have smaller grapes with thicker skins) can provide medium ruby or deeper-coloured wines. Tannins also tend to be on the lighter side, although these can be fortified through the use of stems during fermentation and the use of oak in the vinification process. The lightest examples I have found in Spain are the Garnachas from the Sierra de Gredos, west of Madrid. To digress a little, David & Nadia’s Grenache from the Swartland in South Africa goes one step further and the pale ruby 2018 vintage has been described by one wine writer as having “a transparent veil of tannins” – an apt description.
Grenache thrives in a range of soils and can deal with a low nutrient environment. But it needs a long hot growing season to ripen. Hence it benefits from the galet stones in the vineyards of Châteauneuf and schist soil elsewhere, both of which reflect sun on to the vines. The licorella (dark brown slate) of Priorat also provides an excellent growing medium for Grenache owing to the reflective qualities of the fragmented mica in the soil. Nonetheless growers need to ensure that that the grapes retain freshness (acidity) since overripe fruit can lead to jammy, unbalanced, high alcohol wines which are not appealing, to say the least. So higher areas with pronounced diurnal ranges – such as found in Aragón – often produce the best wines.
In the winery care has to be taken since Grenache oxidises easily and, typically, a low fermentation temperature – no more than, say, 24C – is used to control extraction and retain freshness.
I haven’t the space in this article to roam across the wide world of Grenache so I’ve concentrated on Spain and in particular “old vine” Garnacha which offers some truly wonderful wines at attractive prices.
It’s thought that Garnacha originated in Aragón in northern Spain and it’s there that some of the best old vines can be found in areas like Calatayud, Cariñena and Campo da Borja. These are high altitude plateaus reaching up to 900m in Calatayud. With hot days and cold nights the diurnal range is marked and the edge is taken off the heat by the cold cierzo wind from the NW which delays ripening and allows deep, concentrated flavours to develop. The grapes grow on old bush vines at very low densities and the wines tend to be fuller-bodied with ripe black as well as red fruits and medium tannins. But the more modern, smaller producers of high-quality wines tend to limit the wines’ time in oak and use older oak and larger (500L+) barrels to avoid explicitly oak flavours while maintaining the structure of the wines. Good examples of this style can be found in the wines of Fernando Mora MW – see below.
In Rioja, Garnacha is the second most planted variety but, at only 8% or so of the vineyards, it comes a distant second to Tempranillo (88%). It thrives in the warmer Rioja Oriental region (formerly Rioja Baja). It’s typically used as a blending grape in red Riojas along with Graciano, offering ripe strawberry fruit while Graciano adds colour, high acid and tannin and black fruit flavours. Here single variety Garnachas tend to be made in a more concentrated style with black and red fruits and some new oak ageing. A fine example of the style is the Límite Sur from Ramón Bilbao – more below.
In Navarra, to the NE of Rioja, Garnacha was, until some 40 years’ ago, the most planted variety, mostly being used to make rose. Then farmers started switching to Tempranillo, perhaps looking to gain from the link to Rioja but international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon have made the running in recent years. So, now, when I think of a “typical” Navarra wine it might be Abadía from Raimat which combines Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo. Nonetheless, some think that Garnacha should be Navarra’s signature grape and some excellent examples are being, by Artadi and others, from the highest areas such as Valdizarbe and Baja Montaña. Viña Zorzal also deserves a mention, offering good Garnachas at reasonable prices. The range starts with an unoaked, light, red-fruited, approachable Garnacha and culminates in their single vineyard Malayeta from 35-year-old vines. This is aged for 9 months in 300l French barrels and then in large wooden tanks. Here black fruits dominate in a medium-bodied wine with soft tannins. Both are available in the UK from the Wine Society.
In Catalonia, Priorat is known for high quality Garnacha although it’s usually blended with Cariñena (Carignan) which provides acidity, tannins and bramble fruit. The area has many old vines, some over 75 years old and the slate-based, thin licorella soils cause the vines to burrow deeply seeking water and nutrients which results in very low yields of very concentrated wines. Particles of mica or quarzite in the soil reflect the sun which adds to the already very hot conditions and the challenge is to retain freshness in the grapes and control high alcohol levels. The best wines are undoubtedly excellent but a challenge for the average drinker is their price. Top names such as Clos Mogador, Clos Dofi and Clos de l’Obac, which, as the names suggest, were inspired by French wines, command prices of £60-£70 or more in the UK.
An excellent place to look for very good Garnacha wines at less challenging prices is the up-and-coming area of Sierra de Gredos, west of Madrid. Here vineyards rise up to 1200m on slate and granite and old bush vines predominate. The wines tend to be pale with fresh red berry notes and light tannins and are generally marketed as Vinos de Madrid or Vino de la Terra de Castilla y Leon. Maybe in the future Gredos will get its own appellation? I very much like the single vineyard Garnacha from Bernabeleva, of which more below.
Here are some single variety Garnachas I’ve really enjoyed recently, arranged in order of weight on the palate from heaviest to lightest.
Ramón Bilbao Límite Sur 2017 from Rioja Oriental
Ramón Bilbao is a substantial enterprise dating back to 1924 when the founder opened his first bodega in Haro. In 1999 the family tied up with the family-owned Zamora company which owns a broad range of wine and spirits brands.
Límite Sur is 100% Garnacha from the 10ha Tudelilla vineyard in the highest part of the Rioja Oriental region. The vineyard is north facing, 500-600m above sea level and has shallow, gravel and sandy soils. This is a powerful, opulent style of wine with deep colour (from extended maceration) and predominantly red fruit flavours and medium tannins. Fermentation is carried out at 24C in concrete with a small percentage of stems to add tannin. After this, elements of the wine are aged in a mixture of amphoras, 600l barrels and concrete. After blending a further period of ageing takes place in 225l French barrels. There is a touch of new oak flavour from the French barrels and a more tannic structure than some of the other wines here but the use of concrete and clay amphoras definitely retains a certain freshness.
Available in the UK from the Fine Wine Company, Great Wines Direct and others.
Cuevas de Arom As Ladieras 2020 from Catalayud
Cuevas de Arom is the project of Fernando Mora, MW and Mario Lopes which was established in 2008 to make “precise wines” from high altitude vines. They sought out the oldest vines in the area and found them in the Bodegas of San Alejandro Alarba, Acered and Moreno. The vines grow at up to 800m on pre-cambrian slate and quarzite.
This is a delicate, light to medium ruby coloured wine with distinct fresh red fruit flavours and herbal and violet notes. The accent is on freshness with fermentation in concrete followed by ageing in concrete eggs and very large Austrian oak foudres of 30 hl. Tannins are fine and slightly chalky and the concentrated fruit lingers long on the palate.
Available in the UK from the Wine Society.
Verum Ulterior Parcela No.6 2020 from La Mancha
Bodegas Verum is based in the southern part of La Mancha, south of Madrid, in the town of Tomelloso. The López-Martino family’s roots in winemaking date back to 1788 and the Ulterior project was launched by the latest generation of the family in 2007. The aim of the project is to promote traditional varieties and, in the case of Garnacha, the vines are over 50 years old. The family takes a natural approach to viticulture using cover crops and organic fertilisers. Other varieties produced under the Ulterior label include Albillo, the little-known Tinta Velasco and Mazuelo (Cariñena). Ulterior wines are marketed as Vinos de la Tierra de Castilla.
The soil in the vineyard is rocky limestone over chalk and the vines are planted at high density using double cordon training with green harvesting used to thin out bunches. Fermentation is done separately with 50% whole bunches and 50% destemmed grapes in 5,000 litre stainless steel tanks, after which ageing takes place for 11 months on large, old clay vessels.
The result is a fresh, pale ruby wine with ripe red fruits, a distinct rose aroma and soft tannins.
Available in the UK from the Fine Wine Company, Great Wines Direct and others.
Navaherreros Garnacha de Bernabeleva 2021 from Sierra de Gredos
Bodegas Bernebeleva (meaning the path of the bear) are based west of Madrid in San Martín de Valdeiglesias and date back to 1923 when the first plot was bought by Dr Vicente Alvarez-Villamil. The vineyard plots totalling 35ha are between 630 and 830m in elevation and the soils are sands formed from decomposed granite. These are low in nutrients and, according to the owners, retain high acidity in the grapes. All grapes are hand-harvested and cooled for 24 hours before fermentation. The Navaherreros is a blend of sites, all of which are organically certified, and fermentation is done with wild yeasts in wood, stainless and concrete depending on the features of the grapes. Maceration takes place for 5-7 weeks. Finally, the wine is aged in old French and Slavonian oak for one year.
To me this is a great example of the lighter, fresh style of Garnacha from Sierra de Gredos with ripe, red berry aromas and cherry fruit on the palate with a touch of spice and herbs. Tannins are fine and well-integrated.
Available in the UK from the Shelved Wines, the Fine Wine Company and others.
I hope you’ll get a chance to try some old vine Garnacha and perhaps some of the wines here. I guarantee it’ll be worth it. What’s for sure is that Spanish old vine Garnacha is getting better and better and can still be enjoyed without breaking the bank!
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While this article is about single varietal Garnacha I feel I must also mention Cutio Garnacha 2019 from Navascués Enología in Cariñena, the personal project of Jorge Navascués, winemaker at Contino and consultant to several other wineries including Viña Zorzal. Cutio is 90% Garnacha with the balance being Cariñena. This is a ruby/purple wine but remarkably fresh with raspberry and cherry flavours and well-rounded tannins (part contributed by the Cariñena) and a touch of vanilla. Most of the ageing is carried out in concrete (85%) but the use of 50% new French oak for the remaining 50% gives a lovely silky texture to the wine.
Finally, a mention for a quite excellent Grenache from the New World – David & Nadia’s 2021 Grenache from vineyards on the Paardeberg in Swartland, South Africa. This is one of the purest examples of Grenache I’ve tasted. It combines fruit from five vineyards and 12 different pickings. 60% of the wine is fermented with a four-week maceration period and matured in concrete. 60% is whole bunches which really brings out the raspberry fruit (almost boiled sweet flavours). Tannins are light and smooth from minimal extraction during fermentation and one year’s ageing in 500l old French oak barrels and 2700l concrete tanks. If you like the “Sierra de Gredos” light style of Garnacha this one’s for you.
The Cutio is available in the UK from Vinatis and the David & Nadia from Justerini & Brooks.