2021 Garmon in the garden outside the winery before lunch
I writing to you from the middle of Ribera Del Duero following tastings of barrels of all wineries we work with in the region. I normally do this trip immediately after Bordeaux en primeur tasting which is a very good comparison exercise as Ribera is a Spanish wine region closest to Bordeaux in style.
Compared to Bordeaux, there are no bad vintages in Ribera and needles to say, the overall quality of 2024 barrel samples on display was superior to what was presented in France couple of weeks ago. I am very happy to report that both 2023 (which is ready for bottling) and 2024 were showing great balance of ripeness and elegance. Very classically styled, they will be bringing smiles to faces for many years to come. But, we are not here to talk about the juice in barrels, we are here to release the last of the great 2021 Ribera wines - The Garmon Continental.
Those of you who read my missives regularly, will remember the details of 2021 from other releases - the vintage was about as good as it can be in terms of climatic conditions and has allowed producers to bring the best out of these old vineyards at high altitude. So without further ado, to the wine in question:
Garmon Continental 2021
ZR 18;
For those of you who are new to my releases, Garmon is Ribera del Duero project of Garcia family (one of the greatest wine families in Ribera). Fruit, which comes from up to 100y old vines, is rich, focused, concentrated, yet elegant at the same time - just as you would expect from these organically/biodynamically grown wines. The structure that a great vintage like 2021 brings has delivered fine and polished tannins with small black fruit dominating the nose and the palate. All is then wrapped up in finest, silky, but slightly toasty French oak coating. The bottle I shared over lunch with the Garmon team was showing some fine cinnamon and chocolate in the background which will need some 5- 8 years to come to the fore. Right now, it is all about black fruit and fine toast. This is a real homage to the finest Bordeaux wine making techniques applied to perfectly ripe Tempranillo fruit. Great wine and extraordinary value at this price especially for those of you who have enjoyed a glass of Bordeaux (or two) in the past.
But, you don't have to trust me. If you just look at the ratings, you can see that it is serious drop of vino, especially if compared to other regions - Bordeaux naturally comes to mind. If you take into the account that most of the top properties (1st ad 2nd growths) in 2024 Bordeaux have been rated at same levels (94-97), you will see what a deal this is - Lafite for example was rated 17+ in Jancisroberson.com against 18 for this Garmon.
And now, wishing you all the best, I will go for a well-deserved tapas and a drop of tinto.
Zoran
City Wine Collection