La Montesa 2019

The organic Garnacha 2019 La Montesa fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel vats and matured in barriques for 12 months. As it was very recently bottled, I tasted from two bottles, one uncorked the day before and the other uncorked just before the tasting. The bottle from the day before was more expressive in the nose, but I also liked the austerity of the just-opened bottle. The wine is concentrated and powerful, richer and more concentrated than the 2018, with more density and ripe flavors. It has a medium-bodied palate with very fine tannins. The 800,000 kilos of grapes were hand harvested and selected, trying to avoid very ripe grapes to control the degrees of alcohol, with natural acidity, and the wine is lively and pure, with measured oak. The colors in all the reds are bright ruby, not too dark, and the fruit is red rather than black, despite the warmer and drier year. It has the very fine tannins of the Garnacha in limestone soils. 660,600 bottles and 10,000 magnums produced. - Luis Gutiérrez. 

Field blends of Garnacha with 5% other varieties, including Monastrell, Bobal, Viura and Garnacha Roja, supply the fruit for this deceptively forward red, produced in substantial quantities and all the more praiseworthy because of it. Pure, delicate and scented, with classic herb, red cherry and raspberry flavours, scented oak and underlying chalky precision. 2022-27