*tasting note at the bottom
**Part of the ‘Spanish Value Experiment
When I was randomly selecting the wines for this experiment, it did occur to me that certain wines would have advantages over others. For example, a lot of Tempranillo is trellised in a way that facilitates machine harvesting, it works well with a variety of different blending partners and takes well various levels of oak, new and old, all of which is a big advantage at a lower price point. Compare that to Garnacha, much of which is grown on old bush vines around the country meaning that the more labour intensive and inevitably expensive hand-harvesting is necessary, it has fewer blending partners and even small miscalculations in oak regimes can mask varietal character. That’s not to say that Garnacha can’t be made well at lower price points, but it certainly has an uphill battle in order to be commercially viable.
From IGP Valdejalon, the appellation covering the region of Aragon in north-eastern Spain, hails Bodega Frontonio, a recent project started by 3 friends in one of their parents garage; one of the very few examples where the term ‘garage wine’ is entirely appropriate! Their focus is mainly on the old Garnacha bush vines that litter the ground across the region, the potential of which has only become realised in the last decade or so. One of the founders is Fernando Mora MW, whose recent elevation to being only the 3rd Spanish Master of Wine has given the bodega some visibility and over the past few months I’ve tried almost every wine they produce, with very good results. Botijo Rojo 2015 is their largest production at around 75,000 bottles produced (vs a few thousand for almost every other wine) so it’ll be interesting to see if the same quality persists at their lowest price point.
Tasting Note
100% Garnacha from Valdejalon in Aragon. Younger vines and unoaked. Very little information available – the tech sheets seem inexplicably more concerned with pallet sizes than information about the wine itself. 14% ABV
Slightly deeper in colour than I expected for an unoaked Garnacha, although I suppose that’s the nature of the ripe, rustic Garnacha from Aragon. Not particularly aromatic, although a little coaxing reveals aromas of ripe strawberries, cherries, licorice and dried herbs; classic Garnacha in a riper style. Unexpectedly, and not pleasantly, sweetish on the palate – is that residual sugar? It certainly tastes like it. Soft tannins and well integrated acidity give Botijo Rojo a nice texture, but there’s no real excitement here. Simple, sweet red fruits and some herbal influences with no real persistence. A perfectly reasonable wine but not within the context of Aragon or their own impressive portfolio. I’ll personally trade up for their delicious Telescopico Garnacha every time. 84Pts.
Purchased from Vinissimus for €9.40