2022 Azul y Garanza Garnacha Rose, Navarra, Spain (1L)
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This liter bottle, screw cap rosé is an absolute NO BRAINER! Highly fragrant and floral in tone with layers of watermelon, red plum and red delicious apple, it is made of 100% Garnacha from organically farmed vineyards in the Navarro DO of Northern Spain. Despite being from a very hot, arid landscape, it offers lovely balance between its mouthfilling, plump texture and vivid, cleansing acidity. Sweet Ranier cherry and ripe raspberry notes unfold on the light to medium-bodied palate, while an intoxicating spicy violet note emerges on the crisp and lively finish. This is one to stock up on, as we are confident that it will disappear fast!
Bardenas Réales is a stunningly beautiful National Park of vast, dry, desert land and eroded mountainscapes in the Ribera Alta sub zone of the Navarra DO in Northern Spain. It is the largest desert in Continental Europe and looks like a most inhospitable place to grow wine grapes. But Dani Noguè and his partner, Maria Barrena, were determined to find a plot of land on the edge of the park that they could farm organically without pesticides and that would produce wines with freshness and acidity, something of a challenge in Navarra. Their search yielded a 40 year old 99 acre vineyard they purchased from some retiring farmers who couldn't pass their land onto the younger generation of their family because they all left the area in search of city life. It enjoys a unique microclimate thanks to its proximity to the Ebro River and the significant diurnal (day to night) temperature shift. The soils are very poor which keeps the yields low and means they don't have to do a lot of extraction in the winery. Dani and Maria had to submit the vineyard to the governing body to be allowed into the Navarra DO and proudly indicate the provenance, "Vinos del Desierto de las Bardenas Réales de Navarra" on the label.