2017 Comando G Viticultores, Rozas 1er Cru, Vino de Paraje, Sierra de Gredos, Vinos de Madrid D.O., Spain.
The Rozas Premier Cru is one of the world’s great Grenache wines, and most likely one you haven’t heard of, hand crafted by the talented duo of Daniel Landi and Fernando Garcia, who have been friends since their school days and have other successful projects, with Landi already being a superstar, they formed Camando G in 2008 to work together and the results are absolutely stunning, as this 2017 vintage shows! This region of Spain in the mountains above Madrid, in the Sierra de Gredos is a special terroir that in recent years has broke out and become a Garnacha hot spot that rivals the world’s great sites for this grape, these wines show high elevation elegance and detail, but with old vine concentration and amazing aromatics as well as length in authentic style wines that are mostly made with organic grapes and indigenous yeasts, in a natural fashion that highlights the exceptional purity, as these Comando G offerings display to almost perfection. The 2017 is wonderfully expressive with buoyant fruit, spice, delicate earthy/stony notes and a sweet floral bouquet, this stuff is Garnacha for Grenache lovers, it gives the same thrill as when you get a chance to try Chateau Rayas or one of Louis Barruol’s single cru Gigondas!

Comando G’s Rozas 1er Cru, with layers of brambly raspberry, candied cherry, plum and pomegranate fruits along with a burst of licorice, garrique like lavender, dusty earth, fine pepper and seeped roses, plus chalky notes as well as hint of cedar, is joyous on the full bodied, but lively rich/satiny palate, all of which make this Garnacha irresistible and sultry. Landi and Garcia used a few set of vines averaging 50 to 60 years old for this one, all biodynamic and set on sandy granite soils at almost 900 meters up near the small village of Rozas de Puerto Real. The Rozas 1er Cru saw a native fermentation with some whole cluster in large open top wood vats with gentle pilage and then the Garnacha was aged about a year in mainly seasoned 30 to 40 HL French cask. The winemaking, which can be described as hands off, but with great attention to quality allows this wine to shows a graceful textural side along with a mineral character that is more in line with Burgundy than you’d expect though with a glorious Grenache flavor profile. The Sierra de Gedos makes you work for this level of quality, as the winery notes, the viticulture in this part of Spain is ancient and tenacious, only suited to adventurous, with small plots planted in the most impossible places, including rockfalls and natural amphitheaters high up in the most remote parts of these mountains, and we are grateful for that seriously hard work. This wine has ages of time left, but gorgeous now, do not miss it and all of the Comando G bottlings!
($50 Est.) 96 Points, grapelive

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