Pena el Gato Natural Grenache Red Wine 2019

Elaboration

Peña el Gato Natural Garnacha Organic 2019 comes from one of the most unusual and quietly compelling addresses in all of Rioja. Bodegas Juan Carlos Sancha is operated by Juan Carlos Sancha — a professor of enology at the University of La Rioja — on five hectares of land in Baños de Río Tobía in Rioja Alta, in the coldest zone of the entire D.O.Ca. Rioja denomination. Cold temperatures mean longer growing seasons, higher natural acidity and more delicate aromatic complexity — precisely the conditions that allow organic Garnacha to express its most fresh, pure and characterful self. The production of only 2,000 bottles from certified organic viticulture reflects a winery that has no interest in volume and every interest in quality. After fermentation, the wine ages in barrel with 11 months of lees contact — an extended and deliberate approach that develops the wine's complexity, texture and silky tannin character from within, creating depth and refinement that no amount of oak contact alone could replicate. The result is a natural Garnacha of exceptional freshness, genuine complexity and the kind of effortless elegance that only a winemaker who truly understands the science of what he is doing can produce.