Description
Garmón, Ribera del Duero
If anyone out there has experienced an “epiphany wine” from Vega Sicilia between the vintages of 1968-1998, you probably have Mariano García to thank. For 30 years, the wines from this cult estate were under his masterful direction—which means there can be no debate, only universal agreement, that Mariano is Ribera del Duero’s greatest living legend. The cuvées from Vega, now priced between $100-$600+, are easily among the most recognized, idolized, and profound reds of the world. So what did the greatest winemaker in Ribera/Spain do in his post-Vega Sicilia years?
He launched his own label(s). Today, Mariano and his sons are dominating the contemporary Spanish scene with blue-chip, best-in-class estates like Aalto, Mauro, and Gármon, the latter of which has the world completely abuzz. Master of Wine Tim Atkin has already placed Gármon alongside Vega Sicilia in his own “First Growth” classification, and if you tap the shoulder of any critic, I’d wager it’ll be one of the first estates they rattle off. Additionally, some consider Gármon’s 2018 as their finest and most complete effort yet. It’s luxuriously robust and impeccably balanced, each nuance fine-tuned with the inimitable precision of a mastermind. Because it stunned us so much, we negotiated the best deal in the country to ensure an impossible-to-ignore price: $59 only!
Mariano García is a man preceded by his reputation. The son of a vineyard worker, García became Vega Sicilia’s winemaker at the tender age of 24. He’s been a champion of powerful yet finessed and expressive Spanish wines for his entire career. Beyond Vega, he’s imparted the same rigorous standards of quality to his two sons, Alberto and Eduardo. The three of them now oversee three family-owned estates in Ribera: Mauro, San Román, and, most recently, Gármon Continental in 2014. Even at this nascent stage, Gármon is already one of the hottest properties in Spain.
The project is committed to ancestral viticulture of small-scale, sparsely grown vineyards and native clones. This 100% Tempranillo is produced from a selection of 30- to 100-year-old vines, farmed either organically or biodynamically, in various Ribera del Duero villages. Some may be surprised to learn this is extreme high-altitude grape growing with average plantings hovering around 3,000 feet above sea level! Few regions in Europe are consistently this high.
Upon hand-harvesting in late September, the de-stemmed fruit fermented naturally in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The resulting wine was transferred into French barrels, 50% new, for 20 months of undisturbed maturation. For starters, I suggest (1) nothing short of 30 minutes in a decanter and (2) a service temperature around 60 degrees. An opaque dark purple-ruby core fills a large Bordeaux stem and immediately returns highly perfumed, intoxicating aromas of black raspberry liqueur, black cherry, plum pie, cacao, anise, gingerbread, damp soil, crushed black rock, candied violet, and blueberry compote. The full-bodied palate is silky and balanced to a breathtaking degree—no edges, no undue weight, no over-extraction. It’s powerful, plush, highly complex Tempranillo perfection. For my money, this is the peak of top-shelf Ribera del Duero! Enjoy now and over the next 10, 15, 20+ years.
