Garnacha 'Baltasar Vinas Viejas', Bodegas San Alejandro, Calatayud

£14.59
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Producer
Bodegas San Alejandro
Grape Varieties
Garnacha
Optimum Drinking
Within 5 years
Wine Style
Rich full bodied red
Alcohol by Volume
15%
Closure
Natural Cork
Country
Spain
Style / Colour
Red

Complex aromas of blackberry, plum, fig and thyme, with subtle nuances of balsamic and oak spice, lead to a full and savoury palate, warm and smooth.

Producer Note

Bodegas San Alejandro is a leading Garnacha specialist based in the heart of the Calatayud appellation in Aragon, northern Spain. The cooperative was founded in 1962 and today it has 150 growers, with 1,200 plots covering 950 hectares of vineyard. Garnacha has adapted to suit the extreme natural conditions of the area; the vineyards are situated at elevations of up to 1,100 metres, with contrasting hot days and cool nights. The elevation provides good air circulation, promoting vineyard health which has enabled the vines to be traditionally cultivated in a very natural way and with limited use of treatments. From 2019 Bodegas San Alejandro is converting to organic status, a process which will take approximately four years.

Vintage

In 2017, a spring frost affected the vineyards, which significantly reduced yields and it was the smallest crop in the last decade. However the fruit harvested was full of concentrated flavours, ripe tannins and had reached excellent maturity when picked.

Vineyard

The grapes come from a selection of plots with old Garnacha vines that are over 60 years old, which produce low yields of concentrated fruit. The vineyards are located in the hills of the Sierra Santa Cruz where the soils are quartzite and slate, which offer heat retaining properties during the cooler nights of this hilly location. The vines are goblet trained bush vines, which are dry farmed and are cultivated following sustainable philosophies, such as using limited amounts of sulphur for fungus control. The grapes are manually harvested at optimal ripeness.

Winemaking
The de-stemmed and uncrushed grapes were fermented with selected yeasts. Maceration lasted for one month, during which alternating pigeages and delicate pump overs took place to carefully extract colour, flavour and structure. The wine was aged for 12 months in French foudres and 50 hectolitre vats, to impart balanced oak flavours while conserving the Garnacha aromatics.

Tasting Note

Reminiscent of the old mountain Garnacha vineyards, this delivers complex aromas of blackberry, plum, fig and thyme, with subtle nuances of balsamic and oak spice. With smooth tannins, the full palate is framed by an intense concentration of fruit through to a harmoniously balanced finish.

Grape

Garnacha 100%

The technical information on this wine is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. This information may be subject to change according to vintage

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