Wine Wired

Variety:  Granacha(Grenache)
Country:  Spain
Region:  Aragon
Denominación de Origen (DO): Campo de Borja
Vineyard: Bodegas Alto Moncayo
Alcohol: 15.5%

Campo de Borja is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) for wines located in the northeast of the province of Zaragoza (Aragon, Spain). The vineyard, Bodegas Alto Moncayo, sits atop unique soils of red clay mixed with red slate. Because of its hillside location, the soils are very poor in organic matter and shallow. This allows for vine stress producing intensely concentrated juice.

The vineyard was founded in 2002 with the support of renowned Spanish wine importer, Jorge Ordoñez.  Bodegas Alto Moncayo sells its wines under three labels: ‘Aquilon’, ‘Alto Moncayo’ and ‘Veraton’.  Veraton is the entry level wine from this bodegas, boasting 100% estate-grown Garnacha aged for 17 months in new French and American oak before bottling without filtration.

The wine has a near-opaque deep ruby color that is rich and beautiful.  Initially, the alcohol is apparent in the nose, which is a good reason for serving very slightly chilled (60 F).  This will minimize the evaporation of the alcohol and allow the other aromas to come through.

This full bodied grenacha has the smoky subtle nuances one would expect from the French oak balanced with black cherry, raspberry, and a jammy quality.  This wine continued to open up, eventually unveiling further complexities of leather and moist pipe tobacco.  Interestingly enough I detected a unique subtle but long finish of licorice. To say it bluntly, I love this wine.  This is an amazing Grenache that is well balanced and opulent.  The high alcohol may turn some away, but I think the other aspects of this wine make up for this.  It has just enough complexity to drink on its own, but is even better with food. 

I paired this wine with grilled filet mignon and a salad with Manchego cheese.  This worked very well, accenting some of the smokiness of the wine. The proteins in the steak helped to cut through the tannins, allowing the cooked berry flavors to move to the foreground.

Overall, with all other Grenacha and Grenache I have sampled, this wine is a B.  However, at under $30 a bottle, I would rate it an A- for the price.  This wine is definitely worth the price tag and I would even call it a value for all it gives.  Buy it and enjoy.