2012 Bodega Marañones Treinta Mil Maravedíes

Region: Vinos de Madrid < Spain
Grapes: Garnacha, Morenillo
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic/biodynamic, dry-farmed vineyards, high-altitude 50-70 year-old vines on granite with gneiss/schist soil, native ferment of whole bunches, including stems, aged in large cask, minimal SO2 at bottling
Winemaker: Fernando ‘Fer’ Garcia

Fer Garcia heads up a group of young Spanish terroir fanatics who call themselves “Chicos del Terruar” (boys of terroir), so it is no surprise that his wines for Marañones focus on showcasing each site’s unique terroir, as well as a deep commitment to care of the grapes and the land. Grapes for this wine come from four non-irrigated steep plots in a mountainous area at the northernmost end of the D.O. Vinos de Madrid, where vines are planted in spaces so narrow that only a single mule can pass through to plow the land, and vinified separately. This is a proper high-altitude Garnacha, with a beautiful balance between freshness, acidity and tannins. It’s medium-bodied, with deep, penetrating red fruit and minty eucalyptus, but with a lift, a brightness about it. Not sappy or jammy in any way. Serious, delicious, minerally Grenache from rocky soils, just the way we like it!