La Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo 2022
The freshest expression of Garnacha in the Ebro Valley
Experience and passion drove the creation of Proyecto Garnachas, a tribute to a grape variety that Vintae considers “world-class.” To start it, they rescued old abandoned vineyards in the Ebro Valley, where Garnacha is deeply rooted. The excellent result is reflected in wines like La Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo 2022, made from old vines in Moncayo, at the confluence of Aragon and Navarra, offering the freshest expression of this variety.
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
100% Garnacha tinta
Type of bottle
Burgundy Bottle
Capacity (cl)
75
General Information
La Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo 2022 is a delicious single-varietal wine that conveys the landscape, with freshness and elegance thanks to the Atlantic influence on the area, at the confluence of Navarra and Aragon. Made from old Garnacha vines growing at 800 m in Moncayo, Ebro Valley, on rocky soils with plenty of slate and pebbles. Hand-harvested. Aged 5 months in French oak barrels.
Until recently, Garnacha was the most widely planted variety in Spain and even the dominant grape in Rioja until the 1970s–80s, ahead of Tempranillo.
Proyecto Garnachas (2008) is an initiative by the Vintae group aimed at showing that Garnacha is among the best grapes in the world. Both Richi Arambarri, CEO, and Raúl Acha, technical director, are in love with this variety and know it perfectly, as both are natives of Alto Najerilla, the Rioja area with the highest concentration of old Garnacha vineyards.
They set out to rescue small old Garnacha vines in the Ebro Valley, abandoned due to low yields and demanding viticulture. From these recovered old Garnachas, the project now produces six reds made from Garnacha from different regions of Aragon, Catalonia, and Rioja.
La Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo 2022 pairs perfectly with beef carpaccio or Iberian pork medallions in mustard sauce.
Creators' opinion
La Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo is a wine of cherry-red, garnet color, bright with a youthful rim. On the nose, it shows aromas of red fruit, wild berries, and a hint of vegetal notes. On the palate, flavorful, balanced, and very fruity, with dominant strawberry and raspberry notes, finishing with a sweet, pleasant finish.
The winery
One of the latest adventures of Vintae is the Proyecto Garnachas de España (2008), directly linked to the group's technical director, Raúl Acha, who confesses to being a lover of this grape. Garnacha was, until not long ago, the most cultivated variety in Spain (it was even the predominant grape in Rioja until the seventies-eighties, surpassing tempranillo). Raúl Acha set out to select small plots of garnacha over a century old throughout the Ebro Valley. Forgotten vineyards, and in some cases, abandoned by their owners due to their low profitability: they barely produce 3-4 bunches per vine and also require complicated viticulture. Now, with these old garnachas from the Ebro Valley, Vintae creates a collection of wines that showcase how this variety behaves in different terroirs.