Contino San Rafael Garnacha 2022

The varietal Garnacha 2022 San Rafael Garnacha was produced with grapes from a plot of that name that was planted between 1976 and 1982. The grapes were picked on September 26 and fermented in an oak vat where it starts fermenting spontaneously and had a post fermentative maceration of another 15 days. It matured in 2,000-liter Austrian oak foudres, 500-liter barrels and concrete eggs for 16 months. It feels like, after many changes and styles, they have found the way for the Garnacha, and it comes through as varietal with Mediterranean character, notes of berries and fennel, fresh but with grip. It has a contained 13.87% alcohol, which is low for the variety and the very warm and dry year, keeping a pH of 3.37 and 5.99 grams of acidity, parameters of very good freshness, with very fine, elegant tannins. This is a much more serious Garnacha, and like the white, for me, it’s their finest vintage to date. It was bottled in July 2024. Drink date: 2025-2034. (Luis Gutiérrez,robertparker.com,Feb. 27, 2025)