Bodegas Piqueras Almansa Los Losares Garnacha Tintorera 2020

 

Full red in color with a light brown nuance. Powerful aroma with ripe notes, jammy fruit, coconut and vanilla. The full, soft taste lasts for a long time and ends with mild tannin and an aromatic aftertaste.

 

The talented Juan Pablo Cantos, who previously worked at the famous Vega Sicilia, was given free rein to create top quality from the oldest and non-irrigated vineyards of Bodegas Piqueras. Juan Pablo selected the highly calcareous plot 'Los Losares'.

The 80-year-old, untied vines of Garnacha Tintorera are still growing here on the original rootstocks (pie franco). Due to the high altitude, the grapes ripen more slowly and develop more finesse and complexity. Juan Pablo only picked the grapes in mid-October, of course by hand. After the two fermentations, the wine matured for 14 months in luxurious French Allier oak barrels.

Creating such top quality is an important development for Almansa. Most producers here make wines of simple quality and therefore miss the connection with lovers of beautiful Rioja and Ribera del Duero. This does not alter the fact that the virtually unknown Almansa does have the potential for beautiful wines. The (un)familiarity plays a crucial role in the price of a bottle of wine. The true enthusiast who looks beyond the well-known names on the label benefits from this. Buying such quality elsewhere costs at least twice as much.

The Los Losares is dark colored and has a beautiful aroma of ripe black fruit and luxurious oak. The full, ripe and soft taste is full and has enough tension to combine well with grilled meat or rich stews. Due to its velvety soft taste, this Almansa is also fantastic outside of the meal.