Case of Uvas de la Ira 2022 | $60.00 per bottle

$60.00 per bottle | $720.00 case of 12

Grape Varieties: 100% Garnacha
Region: El Real de San Vicente, Tiétar Valley, Sierra de Gredos, Spain
Appellation: D.O. Méntrida
Producer: Vitícola Mentridana (Curro Barreño)
Soil: Poor granitic soils
Age of Vines: 70+ years
Elevation: 850+ metres
Aging: 11 months — 50% in 37hL French oak foudre, 50% in concrete — vegan

The Origin: Las Uvas de la Ira — "the grapes of wrath" — needs no introduction in Gredos circles: it was in Dani Landi's line-up from the moment he first split from his family's estate. The sourcing has not changed. Six plots totalling 6.9 hectares in the village of El Real de San Vicente, Garnacha every vine of it over seventy years old, on poor granitic soils at 850 metres. What changed is the hand: Landi entrusted these vineyards to Curro Barreño, who made his name with the ethereal reds of Fedellos do Couto and who grew up in these mountains. Set against the sibling Méntrida bottling, this is the cooler, higher, more nervous of the pair — as the sheet puts it, why limit yourself to Gevrey-Chambertin if you could also have Chambolle-Musigny.

The Profile: The Tiétar valley is the more extreme site, with wider swings in ripening and expression, and the wine shows it: pale, high-toned and finely drawn, red-fruited rather than dark, with the granite running underneath. 92+ points, The Wine Advocate.

The Craft: Hand-harvested, indigenous yeasts, 100% whole clusters, and a light touch throughout. Because the plots ripen at different speeds they are picked and macerated separately, with skin contact running anywhere from 30 to 60 days depending on the parcel. Aged eleven months, half in a 37-hectolitre French oak foudre and half in concrete, so there is no oak signature to speak of. Vegan.

The Pairing: Serve at 14–16°C, and decant if you like — it opens with air. Duck, roast partridge, wild mushrooms, aged Manchego, or simply good bread and jamón. Built to age; it will reward five to ten years.