2023 Comando G “La Brea 1er Cru”, Cebreros, Spain

ABOUT THIS WINE

La Brea is a 0.5-hectare parcel of Garnacha a short distance from Rumbo al Norte. The grapes come from 60-year-old vines on sand, granite, and sandstone soils. Grapes were hand harvested, whole-cluster, natural yeast fermentation in an oak vat, 60-day maceration. 10 months in a 1200L French Oak vat, vegan.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Daniel Landi and Fernando Garcia, friends since college, found themselves working in the area centered around the Sierra de Gredos: Daniel at his familys estate, Bodegas Jimenez-Landi, and Fernando at Bodega Maraones. Drawn to the mountains and rumors of small, nearly inaccessible vineyard plots located high in the Sierra de Gredos, over time, they began purchasing and leasing the best sites they could find, creating their own project, Comando G in 2008. Along with the pioneers of the Priorat, Daniel and Fernando are redefining what was previously viewed as a workhorse variety, Garnacha, into something that can rival the elegance and finesse of Pinot in Burgundy or Syrah in the northern Rhne.

The vineyards that Daniel and Fernando have assembled are all farmed biodynamically. These vines range from 50 to 80 years old and are planted on sandy soils weathered from granite, slate, and quartz. A combination of high altitude, freely draining soils, and a mild and fairly humid micro-climate for central Spain guarantees a long growing season and a modest alcohol level in the finished wines. The resultant wines are startlingly pale, extraordinarily aromatic, and intensely flavorful. Each site is harvested by hand, usually in October, fermented by indigenous yeasts in open-top French oak casks, then aged in a combination of 500-700L French oak barrels, foudre, and clay amphorae.