Pegaso Granito 2022

Pegaso Granito comes from Cebreros in the Sierra de Gredos, west of Madrid, where Telmo Rodriguez and Pablo Eguzkiza have championed old-vine Garnacha since the 1990s under the regional VT Castilla-Leon. The defining factor is geology. The vines grow on decomposed granite, a poor, free-draining soil that yields little and lends Gredos Garnacha its fine tannin, red-fruited perfume and stony minerality, set apart from the riper, broader Garnacha of warmer plains. High-altitude sites and a strong diurnal range hold natural acidity and aromatic detail despite the southern latitude. Long, careful work in vineyard and cellar precedes twenty-four months in French oak, which rounds the structure through slow oxygen exchange while leaving the granite-driven fruit and minerality in the lead. The colour is medium ruby. The nose is perfumed, with wild red berry and cherry, ground pepper, dried thyme and a clear stony note. The palate is medium to full bodied, the tannin fine and chalky, the finish savoury and mineral despite the fifteen per cent alcohol. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees in a wide glass. It pairs with lamb and game.