The Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines 2014 is 100% Garnacha sourced from vineyards in the Calatayud sub DO of the larger Aragon DO in Northeast Spain. Garnacha (Grenache in France) originated in Aragon centuries ago, it is now one of the main grapes in the Rhone Valley in France and is one of the most widely planted grapes in the world. Garnacha de Fuego is one of Jorge Ordonez Selections family of wines. Ordonez started as a wine importer but is now much more than that. He curates a line of wines from all price points and regions of Spain. His wines have a family resemblance if you like one of his selections there is a good chance another of his wines may appeal to you. There are several companies curating wine from Europe, always check the back label, one of their wines may lead you to another and then another. The Garnacha de Fuego is aged in cement vats and stainless steel tanks for 6 months (cement vats are common in Spain and are starting to catch on in the US). The Garnacha Old Vine grapes used are from vineyards planted from 1945 to 1976. This is a bottle that should be found for under ten bucks (I paid $7.99) and routinely scored around 90 points from the leading wine magazines. The alcohol content is a stout 14.5%.
The color is a dark, opaque black cherry red with an almost clear halo. The nose is blackberry, pepper, a touch of herbs, lightly floral, with a savory note. There is a lot going on for a sub-$10 wine, rich, extracted flavors, exotic herbs and spices and solid acidity. It tastes of rich dried blackberries, dusty chocolate powder (not sweet), spice and ripe plum. The mid-palate adds blueberry, pepper, extracted licorice and a light slap of tart cranberry. The tannins don’t get in the way and the acidity is sleek and solid. The finish is full and long.
The Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines 2014 is a really good bottle of wine, not just a good for ten bucks wine. If you have not been visiting the “Spain” aisle at your local wine shop, the $15 and under section may well have the largest concentration of 89 point plus wines in the entire shop. The best bargains in most wine shops are the Garnacha/Grenache, the Syrah/Shiraz and maybe the Monastrell.
