From: Sierra de Gredos, Spain
Varietal: Garnacha
Taste & Critical Acclaim: This ethereal red wine is life. Crunchy red fruits like cherry, pomegranate, red currant, & wild strawberry meet laurel, tomato leaf, orange peel, and a hint of fennel and pepper. Elevated and extremely pretty, this wine shows off fine, granitic tannins and should be served slightly chilled for maximum enjoyment.
"The 2021 Granito del Cadalso has more fruit and is rounder, more approachable- looking, from locations in the valley that deliver that profile. It fermented mostly in concrete vats, destemmed and with indigenous yeasts, and had an élevage in concrete of approximately six months. It has notes of red berries and herbs, with purity and a gentle mouthfeel through very fine, chalky tannins." –Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 90 points
Pairing: Because this Grenache is on the lighter side of the spectrum, it’ll pair wonderfully with a wide range of dishes. Tapas, picnic fare, BBQ, grilled veggies and meats, sausage and polenta or mushrooms and polenta, grilled or roasted salmon, paella, and even pizza work fantastically as pairing partners. Other ideas include serving this with Spanish tortilla, Spanish pork skewers, pimento cheese, chorizo, and rabbit (check out the recipe below).
Rabbit Legs with Peas, Collards and Country Ham
Recipe from Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook Adapted by Sam Sifton
About. Many thanks to importer, Eric Solomon for the following!
Just down the street from Comando G is the Bodega Cooperativa Cristo del Humilladero. Founded in 1956 by over 400 local families with vineyards in the hills surrounding Cadalso de los Vidrios, it once received over 6 million kilos of grapes from close to 1000 hectares of vineyards.
Since its founding however, and as the population of Madrid has grown, it became more profitable to uproot old vines of Garnacha and Albillo in favor of new suburban houses and country retreats in the mountains of the Sierra de Gredos. Over 80% of the original vineyards near Cadalso have been lost and more are threatened with continual development.
Faced with the loss of additional vineyards and desiring to reverse this trend, the president of the Cooperativa, Ricardo Moreno approached his neighbors, Dani Landi and Fernando Garcia. Equally concerned with the loss of the viticultural heritage of their region, Dani and Fer devised a plan to improve the farming and winemaking at the cooperative so that members could make a living from their vineyards rather than selling their land to real estate developers.
Like kids unleashed in a candy store, Dani and Fer had access to a wide range of sites at elevations between 500-1000 meters in elevation and vines from 20-70 years old. Their previous experience in farming small, isolated vineyards with differing expressions and spread through out the Gredos, gave them the confidence and experience to select complimentary sites that when blending together could represent a true village wine from the sandy granitic soils surrounding Cadalso de los Vidrios. The cooperativa itself has only been slightly modernized to allow for temperature control but the original tulip-shaped contrete tanks remain in situ. This is the perfect set up to make transparent wines unmarked by any oak and offered at a reasonable price – all while supporting local growers and preserving the vineyards of the village.
2015 was the inaugural vintage of this new partnership between the Cooperativa and Comando G and as soon as Eric Solomon tasted it, they partnered with the Cooperativa, Dani and Fernando to create Granito del Cadalso.
It is made from Garnacha sourced from the granitic and sandy soils of the village. The vines range in age from 20 to well over 70 years old. Harvested by hand, Granito del Cadalso is fermented and aged in concrete with a 15-20 day maceration with regular remontage.
The village of Cadalso de los Vidrios is situated at the foot of the Sierra de Gredos. For centuries workshops here made glass windows for the palaces of Spain from the granitic sands of the region. Ancient, head-pruned vines of Garnacha planted in these same soils make for equally transparent wine. Garnet in color with vibrant flavors of red fruits, laurel and orange peel, Granito del Caldalso is made under the guidance of famed winemakers Dani Landi and Fernando Garcia.
Curious for more? There’s a lot to this wine and this special place. Thankfully, Margaret Rand of The World of Fine Wine wrote this amazing article below that’ll give more context to the area and its producers.
