ALBRET | La Loma | Garnacha | 2018
grenache

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Today we are going to review a single-varietal grenache wine from the Spain’s famous Navarra region – La Loma Garnacha 2018 by Finca Albret. Until recently, grenache has been ignored in much of the world, even though it is the grape variety that is responsible for two of the world’s more famous red wines: Châteauneuf-du-Pape and a more recent star Priorat. The main two reasons of the world’s ignorance towards this grape variety was that grenache tends to be over-productive when poorly managed and hence, it was widely planted in hot regions where cheap bulk wine was the main target (mostly in northern Spain, where it is known as garnacha), in fact it was the second most planted grape variety in the world after the infamous airén. But, if carefully managed, garnacha can produce very intense, vibrant and expressive red wines, which was showcased by the famous Priorat wines, made of grapes that are sourced from old bush vines. With its upright growth and strong, sturdy trunk, grenache is well suited to being grown as a water-seeking bush vine in hot and windy regions. Its only disadvantage being its predilection to set relatively little fruit, which of course, means all the more flavour in the grapes that remain. La Loma translates from spanish as ‘The Hill‘, which is exactly where this vineyard is planted – on steep slopes with different orientations, rich in rocky, sandy, loamy and pebbly soils, on the hills that are swept by the harsh Cierzo winds, which dry out the fungus, allowing to grow healthy garnacha grapes. This wine is a blueprint grenache from a hot climate, aged only for 4 months in french oak barrels, in order to preserve as much as possible the varietal characteristics of the garnacha grapes. But enough with all that theory – that said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: pale garnet color
clarity: hazy copper shades

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & vibrant
fruit profile: red fruits | berry fruits
__red fruits: red cherry | cranberry | candied cherry
__berry fruits: strawberry | raspberry | wolfberry
fruit character: overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | earth | other
__spice: red pepper | anise
__oak: sun-dried oak | rooibos tea | cherry tree sap
__earth: clay | loam | sand
__other: wormwood
primary layer: fruit

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: medium+
tannin: medium-
__grip: soft
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
body: supple | medium-

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: overripe
non fruit: none
finish: medium
aftertaste: crisp & seedy

//Scoring
ALBRET | La Loma | Garnacha | 2018
variety: grenache
country: Spain
region: Navarra
rating: 92.7

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 2 or 3 more years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Spain and, with a total of 92.7 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a supple, lean and round grenache wine, with an ample palate and a rich, fruity-expressive nose. The wine is still in its development phase, thus it can be either enjoyed today or aged for another 2-3 years, in order to develop further complexity. On the nose the wine brings a mixture of overripe red and berry fruits in the foreground, followed by hints of spice and oak in the background and a very noble, earthy layer in between the two. On the palate the wine delivers bright acidity, soft tannins and a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which evolves nicely into a crisp and seedy aftertaste. All in all, this is a quite plump and slightly opulent grenache wine, with an overripe but lively, fruity accent on the nose and a very crisp and a bit seedy mouthfeel – a wine that in its current state lacks some complexity and structure on the palate. Judging by the wine’s structure and its flavour profile, we believe it will pair lovely with any cherry sauce-based steaks or with duck breast. Enjoy!

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