VINOS AURELIO GARCIA Alto Horizonte Garnacha 'Alto De La Cruz' 2021 (750ml) *
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Description
High-altitude Garnacha from the Sierra de Gredos, the mountainous stretch southwest of Madrid where the grape trades richness for lift, this bottling comes from Vinos Aurelio Garcia. The fruit is drawn from several small parcels in the El Sotillo lieu-dit, in the village of Navatalgordo, each plot fermented separately in small concrete tanks with native yeasts. Aging happened in concrete eggs rather than oak, a choice meant to preserve the fruit's clarity and let the site speak without the imprint of wood.
The result leans toward finesse. The nose is fragrant and unmistakably in the Gredos idiom, all mountain aromatics and red fruit, and the palate follows with freshness and balance rather than weight. Tannins are fine-grained, the flavors clean and precise, and the finish runs long and dry with a savory pull. At just over 14% alcohol it stays vibrant, a wine of energy and detail more than power.
Expert Reviews
The 2021 Alto de la Cruz shows really well. It comes from six different plots of vines in the lieu-dit of El Sotillo in the village of Navatalgordo. Each plot fermented in a small concrete tank with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in two 1,700-liter concrete eggs to keep the purity of the fruit without distortion. It has finesse and elegance, a fragrant nose and a Gredos profile. It has a vibrant and balanced palate, with very good freshness, very fine tannins, clean flavors and a long, tasty, clean and dry finish. It has 14.13% alcohol, a pH of 3.4 and 5.3 grams of acidity. 3,638 bottles and 210 magnums produced. It was bottled in May 2023. (Wine Advocate, November 2024)