2018 Ca' di Mat Los Peros Garnacha

Region: Sierra de Gredos, Spain

Grape: Garnacha

Culinary Suggestions: Tapas, Chorizo, Paella, Game Meats

Vineyard Practice: Sustainable

About

I am really happy to be able to bring the superb wines produced by Curro Bareño and Jesus Olivares at Ca’ di Mat (meaning ''Crazy House" in Italian) to Australia. Having held a passion for wines produced from Grenache, or Garnacha here, for my whole career I was bowled over by the wines from Spain's Sierra de Gredos upon first tasting them some years ago. 

Stylistically they are truly sui generis - mountain wines from ancient bush vines, grown on decomposed granitic soils between 600-1000m altitude. This means they are taut, crisp and pure in style, relatively low in alcohol for Grenache and somewhat lighter in colour too. These are athletic mountain wines though, they have a tension and vigour that put's them up there with the very very best.

The estate has 20 hectares of 30-80 year old vines which are cultivated organically and include Garnacha and Albillo. Much of the vineyard land is under recovery and this is being undertaken slowly to ensure the old vines have a chance to recover, rather than replanting. It is a continental climate with annual average at rainfall 600 mm and annual average temperature of only 13,7 º C.
Wine making is along the minimal intervention path that we like; indigenous yeasts, cold gentle macerations and the use of whole brunches produce delicate, fragrant and ethereal wines to fascinate and delight.

We look forward to bringing these beautiful wines to you here in Australia! - Importer Note

Tasting Notes

Like the white, there is also a red 2018 Los Peros Garnacha from a plot of 80-year-old vines in the place known as Los Peros in the zone of Andrinoso in the village of San Martin de Valdeiglesias. It had a slow fermentation and maceration of two months followed by a year in well-seasoned 500-liter oak barrels. There is a lot more finesse here than in the 2017, and this has an herbal/minty twist, like green aromatic herbs, wild flowers and berries. The palate has depth and is layered, with fine tannins and a texture that somewhat makes me think of the wines from slate soils in Gredos, even if this is not the case here.

93 points - Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate April 2020