2016 4 Monos Viticultores, Tinto “GR10” Garnacha, Sierra de Gredos, Vinos de Madrid D.O., Spain.
The 4 Monos Tinto is wonderfully vibrant and vivid in the glass with a translucent ruby hue and with sweet red berry, slightly earthy and floral perfume that leads to an intriguing lighter to medium weighted palate of purity and finesse. One of my new favorite Spanish producers, 4 Monos (the 4 monkeys) is team of four winemaker and wine loving friends that make handcrafted small lot wines in the mountains above Madrid, using old school techniques and a light touch to make delicious authentic wines from their native region. The Sierra de Gredos, made famous in recent years by the likes of Daniel Landi, Comando G and Alfredo Maestro, is a mountain range that spreads over parts of three appellations – Méntrida, Vinos de Madrid, and Castilla y León – and sits between 600 and 1,200 meters in elevation, only a short way west of Madrid itself. These old bush vines planted on sand, granite, and schist make for some amazing and expressive Garnacha, but with lively acidity and delicacy, Especially when done by the names mentioned and these 4 Monos, Javier Garcia (also the head winemaker at Méntrida icon Bodegas Jiménez-Landi), co-winemaker Laura Robles, wine-lover David Velasco, and vineyard holder David Moreno. This wine comes from regional vineyard parcels with head trained (En Vasco/En Gobolet) vines ranging between 30 and 85 years old set on mostly decomposed granite soils at about 800 meters up in the Sierra de Gredos, all within the Vinos de Madrid DO appellation and comprised of all organic 85% Garnacha, 10% Cariñena, 3% Morenillo, 2% Syrah for this lovely fresh vintage. Minimalists in the cellar, the 4 Monos wines are created with natural winemaking methods, such as wild yeasts and whole cluster fermentation, foot-trodding the grapes for minimal extraction, with very little sulfur added, and minimal oak treatment using old barrels exclusively. This GR10 Tinto village wine was on the skins for between 21-40 days, until primary was done then gently pressed and raised in 300 & 600 liter used oak casks and a 4500L foudre for 7 months, plus another 2 months in concrete to settle before bottling. Layers continue to unfold with air with tangy strawberry, pomegranate, briar laced raspberry and sweet and sour plum fruits along with sharp/crisp mineral tones, dusty tannins, dried herb, anise and lavender. After an hour it takes on some kirsch elements, gets silken and fills out a bit more, while always staying refined and showing just a hint of stems-menthol and leather, this wine way over delivers for the price and is ultra cool Grenache that Pinot Noir or Burgundy lovers will find hard to resist. In California we have Grenache re-imagined led by a mix of characters, Sheldon Wines, Ian Brand, Angela Osborne (Tribute to Grace), Birichino and Randall Grahm’s ever evolving Grenache based wines that are after or into this style, all with admirable results, so be sure to check them all out if you love Grenache, but certainly don’t miss this 4 Monos Tinto if you can find it, and drink this 2016 over the next 3 to 5 years, it’s a great and quaffable red to enjoy anytime.
($18 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive

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