“I love the 2021 El Puño Garnacha.” - The Wine Advocate, 95 points

As far as Spanish wine regions go, Calatayud is something of a backwater, high up in the mountainous province of Zaragoza, so we were slightly taken aback on meeting the winemaker to hear his thick Scottish accent. Norel Robertson MW (one of only four Masters of Wine currently living and working in Spain) is a bit of a trailblazer, a crazy pioneer, who goes by the name of 'El Escoces Volante' ('The Flying Scotsman') and although he has made wine in Murcia, Andalucia and Galicia, he has established a real name for himself in Calatayud, where he makes high altitude wines from Rhone varieties and this Garnacha was one of the best of some great wines that we tasted with him. Concentrated aromas of black fruit and spice lifted by notes of violet and thyme, the palate is serious and complex, with damson and blackberry balanced by ripe, rounded tannins, orange acidity and a long and mineral finish. 14.5% alc. Drink now-2032.

Press review:

The Wine Advocate: “I love the 2021 El Puño Garnacha, which was produced in a similar way as the 2020, only with a slightly higher percentage of wine in barrel (50% versus 40%), but the oak goes unnoticeable. It has notes of blood orange and a citric touch of freshness that makes it very showy, aromatic and attractive. This is a serious, complex, elegant and austere Garnacha. Drink now-2030.” 95 points

Winemaking

The Garnacha vines are 70-100 years old, cultivated at 1,100 metres altitude in slate and quartzite soils. Found amongst mountain herbs, almond and olive trees - the bush vines are dry-grown at this extreme altitude, where annual rainfall is very low (200-300mm). All the fruit is rigorously selected and, as such, these old vines yield less than 1.5kg of fruit per vine. Following a selection of the bunches the grapes are crushed into tanks, where they are held at 8°C to cold soak for up to 10 days. The temperature is then allowed to rise to bring on wild fermentation, and the tanks are plunged for gentle extraction. A couple of tanks were allowed an extended maceration to add weight and complexity to the blend. 40% of the wine was then aged in old, used, French oak barrels (500-650 litre) with low to medium toast. The component parts were blended, with some lees stirring, and bottled with a light filtration and no fining.