Sierra de Toloño, Tereseño, Rioja Alta, Spain 2023

Made with fruit from a single-vineyard planted in 1944 at 700m in Labastida, Rioja Alavesa, this is a Garnacha of great definition and refreshing fluidity, with blood orange and clementine zest adding juicy grip. The wine was spontaneously fermented in clay amphorae and kept at a low temperature to encourage slow, gentle and constant extraction, remaining in the amphorae for 12 months before being bottled without fining or filtering. There's great detail in the chiselled, crunchy pomegranate, cranberry, raspberry and strawberry fruit, with an elegant, refined rusticity and an intense frame of tarragon and saffron. So dynamic, with an appetising texture lingering playfully on the palate supported by wet stone minerality. Mountain Rioja in a glass.

El Pacto, Valdechuecas, Rioja Alta, Spain 2022

Sourced from a 1.16ha vineyard at 595m-620m in Cárdenas, in the south of Rioja Alta, with parcels dating back to 1918 and 1912, this wine consists mostly of Garnacha Tinta with small quantities of Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo, Viura, Malvasía and other local varieties. The concrete fermentation tank was filled with 85% destemmed but whole-berry fruit on top of 15% whole bunches, all fermented using indigenous yeasts, and the wine then aged for a year in third-use 2,400L French oak foudres. So expansive on the mid-palate, it's expressive and generous. Beautifiul savoury tannins cloaked in tobacco, wet soil, Turkish coffee and Earl Grey over an unctuous bed of black olive tapenade. Still a baby, it will benefit from time in bottle to come into its own. Long finish, with a long tail of tapenade, oregano, saffron and roasted pepper. Delicious. Organic.

Victor Ausejo, Garnacha Tinta, Rioja Oriental, Spain 2023

Seductive vividness and mountain intensity frame ripe orchard fruit. Upfront juiciness balanced by precision and edge with tingling peppery notes, turmeric, saffron and tomato leaf, underpinned by intense earthiness of wet soil and leaves. So characterful and approchable, drinking beautifully now but with a long life in bottle ahead. Very long, with lingering white and pink pepper, nutmeg and cardamom. The 100% Garnacha Tinta fruit is from one site planted in 1950 and four other microparcels, at 700m-800m in Sojuela, southwest of Logroño in Rioja Alta. Only organic fertiliser is used and no herbicide, with minimal working of the soil. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks was followed by malolactic and maturation lasting 12 months in French oak barrels of 600L, 500L and 225L in size.

Bodegas Muro, Majada de Reyes, Rioja Alta, Spain 2022

This is a 100% Garnacha wine from a single hectare of vines, some dating back to 1904, planted at 630m in the foothills of the Sierra de Moncalvillo in Rioja Alta. After detailed selection of the fruit, the grapes were fermented slowly in stainless steel tanks, then the wine transferred to French oak barrels, where it completed malolactic fermentation and matured for 16 months. It fills the palate with luscious yet refreshing plum, pomegranate and red cherry fruit. Appetising texture is built upon mouthwatering zestiness – blood orange, pink grapefruit. Such an energetic, dynamic wine, with so much vividness and bright, juicy fluidity throughout. The tannins are drenched in cranberry and sour cherry juice. A long life ahead of it.

Casa La Rad, Edición Especial Garnacha, Rioja Oriental, Spain 2021

All Garnacha, grown on bush vines at 535m-640m in Ausejo, Rioja Oriental, where the wine was fermented in open, 500L French oak barrels followed by 12-14 months in 225L barrels, 50% new. Mineral, cooling nose of wet stone, redcurrant, red plum and wild flowers. Well-honed, refreshing tannins. Appealing rusticity with forest floor and wet leaves over plum, sloe and strawberry. The pure, fluid fruit core carries the wine with ease through to its blood orange juice-drenched finish.

Reditus, 23 Reales, Rioja Alta, Spain 2023

A wine that deftly balances pretty aromatics and serious structure, this is made from Garnacha grown in Cordovín, southern Rioja Alta. The grapes are fermented at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks, then the wine is transferred to 225L French oak barrels for malolactic and six months of maturation before bottling, unfiltered. It presents perfumed notes of rose, violets and red cherry, alongside broody forest floor and wild herbs. With ripe but firm tannins and direct, driven acidity, it is built to last but already offers very appealing sapidity. Lovely Garnacha that reflects its origins.

Vinos en Voz Baja, Nace la Sierra, Rioja Oriental, Spain 2024

A blend of 70% Garnacha with 20% Tinto Velasco and 10% Pasera, this is sourced from a single site in Calahorra, Rioja Oriental, and the wine is fermented in concrete tanks using whole bunches and native yeasts before ageing for eight months in oak barrels. Intense earthiness and seductive florality mingle on the nose. Dry rose petals and wildflowers over poached cherry and juicy cranberry, a hint of graphite and salty liquorice on the rims. Fluid core, framed by mineral freshness, infused in cherry leaves and thyme. Unpretentious purity. Enjoy slightly chilled.