Bodegas Brega - Grenache - Garnacha 2015 (750ml)

 Bodegas Breca was founded by Jorge Ordóñez in 2010 with the mission of producing the finest Garnacha in Aragon. Garnacha de Aragon, the clone used to produce the wines of Bodegas Breca, is the most ancient and genetically untouched clone of of Garnacha (Grenache) in the world.

 Garnacha, most famous internationally for its French name Grenache, is a grape cultivar that was most originally planted in the Kingdom of Aragon in the northeast of Spain during the Middle Ages. Transplanted across the Mediterranean by the Aragonese, who had holdings in southern France and Italy, the original Garnacha evolved into more productive clones now planted in Southern France – the same clones that are famous for the very aromatic, lighter body and color wines that they produce. The most widely planted red grape in the world, the vast majority of the Grenache plantings are of these more modern, unauthentic clones on trellis. However, in present day Aragon, it is still possible to find vineyards of these old clones planted up to a century ago in decomposed iron rich red and black slate soils.

 The top wine, made in tiny quantities, the 2015 Brega comes from the oldest vineyards of the estate (both planted prior to 1911) and is 100% Garnacha brought up all in a mix of new, once- and twice-used barrels. This ripe, incredibly sexy red boasts a deep purple/plum color to go with gorgeous notes of black cherries, chocolate, graphite, and a mineral/scrub brush-like character that develops with time in the glass. Concentrated, fresh, nicely structured, and long, it will benefit from a year or two of bottle age and drink nicely for a decade or more

 A dark and fleshy red with plenty of black-fruit aromas on the nose. A slew of soft tannins that nicely fill out the expansive body and the long, supple finish is dry enough for this to be rather food-friendly. Drink now or hold.

Ripe, syrupy plum and berry aromas are jammy and dense. This is a full-bodied Garnacha with 16% declared alcohol by volume. Candied black plum, cassis and brown sugar flavors are far from light and feminine, while this is chocolaty, calm and collected on a very ripe finish. Michael Schachner, 4/1/2019