El Bufón de Arrayán Garnacha 2024

If you’ve vaguely heard about Cebreros and wondered what the fuss is all about, then you’ve come to the right place. This is a high-altitude, single-vineyard Garnacha from Maite Sánchez, one of the region’s rising star winemakers. Garnacha is also known as Grenache, and you’ll find it in some of the best (and most expensive) Chateauneuf-du-Papes and Priorats. I think however the style of this wine is somewhere in between Burgundy and Barolo, which is no surprise given Maite’s influences and experience making wine. She’s previously made wine at some of the world’s most iconic wineries, including Vega Sicilia, Clos Mogador and Comte Armand in Burgundy. The Cebreros vineyard is based on steep slopes made up of slate soils, which gives a lovely perfume to the wine. The vines are old - 80 years - so what little fruit they produce is very concentrated and pure. Fermentation starts gently and spontaneously to preserve all that vineyard character and build complexity, and the wine is aged for 14 months in old French oak barrels. The nose is elegant and subtle, with hints of dried fruit and wild herbs in there. On the palate it’s rich, structured and creamy, with bright and floral aromatics and a balsamic core. It finishes so fresh for a wine of its age, and there’s easily 5-10 years still in it. Because this wine is from the dead-centre of Spain and not somewhere else more famous, the value is spectacular!