From: Navarra, Spain
Varietal: Graciano
Tasting Notes: A clear, medium-intensity, ruby-colored wine. Clean, high-intensity fresh aromas of black fruits like blackberry and blackcurrant, as well as black pepper, cedar, and earthy tones. Dry and fresh on the palate with soft tannins and a medium body. Black fruit flavors, mineral hints, and a long finish.
"Wonderfully heady with powerful mulberry scents and juicy fruit. Great impact! Then vibrant and lively. Real lift. Precise and surely no oak but pure fruit. Amazing length. Nice label too." –Jancis Robinson
"The varietal red 2019 Graciano was cropped from a very healthy vintage they consider exceptional, when they could bottle this wine of grapes from the village of Corella at 13.3% alcohol with a pH of 3.4, so with measured ripeness and very good health. It fermented in 10,000-liter vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in used French oak barrels of different sizes for nine months. It's herbal and vibrant, with pungent aromas of bay leaf, spicy and very tasty. This strain of Graciano seems to deliver less color and body, and the wine shows it. This is medium-bodied and has very fine tannins, pungent acidity and a long and tasty finish. The herbs turning more into flowers with time in the glass... Another bargain." –Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 91 points
Pairing: Possible pairings are abundant, and include lentil stews, chorizo, lamb-stuffed peppers, spicy pasta dishes, and anything off the grill. Personally, we’ve been craving something a little more comfort-driven & thus, are sharing this recipe for Baked Bean and Cheese Quesadillas (Martha Rose Shulman, NYT).