BODEGA MUSTIGUILLO | La Garnacha de Mustiguillo | 2019
grenache

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Today we are are also going to review a single varietal grenache wine from the Spain‘s less famous Valencia region – La Garnacha de Mustiguillo 2019 by Bodega Mustiguillo. 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. The grapes for this genuine grenache wine were sourced from the Altiplano Garnacha vineyard (located in El Terrerazo estate), planted on 800 meters altitude above sea level, with mainly calcareous soil, composed of Dolomite limestone, that has a chalky texture. In order to preserve the varietal characteristics of the grenache grapes, part of this wine has been aged for 6 months in french oak casks, while the other part has been aged for 8 months in big oak tanks. 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 ruby color
clarity: hazy ruby shades

//Olfactory
intensity: pronounced & vibrant
fruit profile: red fruits | berry fruits
__red fruits: red plum | red cherry | cranberry | sour cherry
__berry fruits: wolfberry | berberry | goji berry
fruit character: underripe & ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: vegetal | herbal | spice | oak | other
__vegetal: wormwood | arugula | clover
__herbal: eucalyptus | dried leaves | basil
__spice: red pepper | cloves | anise | thyme
__oak: sun-dried oakwood | cherry tree wood
__other: cherry seeds | hay | dried tomato | pomegranate skin
primary layer: fruit

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

//Taste
fruit profile: red & berry fruits
fruit character: underripe & ripe
non fruit: spice
finish: medium+
aftertaste: seedy-crisp

//Scoring
BODEGA MUSTIGUILLO | La Garnacha de Mustiguillo | 2019
variety: grenache
country: Spain
region: Valencia
rating: 92.6

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 3 to 5 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended

//RP Rating
actual RP rating: 93

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This is definitely a fine wine of Spain and, with a total of 92.6 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 quite seedy, austere and slightly angular grenache wine, with a supple palate and a vibrantly-fruity nose. The wine is still in its development phase, thus it can be either enjoyed today or aged for 3 to 5 more years, in order to develop further complexity and round up its rough edges. On the nose the wine brings a mixture of underripe to ripe red and berry fruits in the foreground, followed by some quite pronounced herbal hints in the background and a very subtle, spicy layer in between. On the palate the wine delivers elevated acidity, seedy-green tannins and quite a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which evolves nicely into a seedy-crisp aftertaste. All in all, this is a crisp, green and slightly opulent grenache wine, with a lively, fruity accent on the nose and a seedy mouthfeel – a wine that in its current state lacks some structure and harmony on the palate. Judging by the wine’s structure and its flavour profile, we believe it will pair lovely with a veal steak with sour cherry sauce, some hard cheese, like parmesan or cheddar, or a medium-roasted duck breast. Enjoy!

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