Morca Garnacha 2022

Morca Garnacha is a single-variety Grenache from D.O. Campo de Borja in Aragón, made in Borja by Bodegas Morca, a project of Juan Gil Bodegas Familiares and Gil Vera. The fruit comes from small, low-yielding plots that are picked by hand, the sort of old-vine Garnacha that thrives on the stony, iron-rich slopes below the Moncayo massif. This is a warm continental zone, and Garnacha ripens fully here, building the ripe fruit and the high sixteen per cent alcohol while the altitude and cooling mountain winds keep freshness in the fruit. Each plot is fermented separately in small stainless steel tanks to preserve site character before blending. The wine is then run into French oak barrels to complete malolactic fermentation in wood, which softens the sharp malic acid into rounder lactic acidity and binds the oak more seamlessly into the fruit, then ages a further twenty months in barrel. Expect a deep, full-bodied red, aromatic and ripe, with cherry and plum, red berry and a floral lift, framed by cedar, vanilla and a peppery spice. The palate is rich and warming, balanced by fresh acidity and a long, spiced finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant. A red for hearty roasts and grills.