Rico – Nuevo Garnacha 2022

Rico-Nuevo is the project of young grower Juan Andrés Martín Pérez, the fourth generation of a family working vineyards in the Sierra de Gredos, within the D.O. Cebreros in Castilla y León. This Garnacha is drawn from a selection of old-vine plots around the village of Burgohondo. The soils are decomposed granite, poor and free draining, which keeps yields low and lends the wine its saline, mineral cut. Altitude is the other defining factor here: warm days ripen the fruit while cold mountain nights preserve acidity and the aromatic detail Gredos Garnacha is known for, so the wine stays fresh and light on its feet rather than heavy. Fermentation with the estate's own approach favours transparency over extraction, giving a pale, bright red. The nose leads with wild strawberry and red cherry, violet and crushed herbs, with a stony undertone. The palate is medium bodied and finely textured, the tannins soft, the acidity keeping the fruit lifted through a peppery, mineral finish. Serve at 15 to 16 degrees, in a Burgundy glass. It suits roast chicken, mushroom dishes and charcuterie.