Description
Located in the mountains northwest of Madrid at the eastern edge of Spain’s Sierra de Gredos, Bernabeleva produces Garnachas unlike any others in the world—intense yet ethereal wines that give voice to an enchanting region few had heard of even a decade ago.
San Martín de Valdeiglesias is the westernmost sub-region of the DO Vinos de Madrid. The first wines were cast at Bernabeleva in the 1930s, and the estate’s vineyards are still chiefly based on Dr. Álvarez Villamil’s original 1923 Garnacha and Albillo bush vines. These old vines eke out their living at around 800 metres altitude under the commanding peak of the Cerro de Guisando. This sandy and granite-rich highland terroir is a magical mountain country full of rocky peaks and scrubby pine forests, still infused with a strong legacy of its Celtiberian heritage.
The challenge in this extreme climate and poor soil has always been to produce wines of finesse. A strong supporter of biodynamic viticulture, Marc Isart has a passion for place and produces wines of great transparency. Of course, it is the vineyards that determine the potential quality—the high altitude and naturally low yields from poor, sandy soils both serve to encourage vivid, balanced raw materials. Yet Isart’s way of working in these vines and in the cellar, moulds wines of enormous depth and complexity combined with great precision and delicious drinkability, all without any loss of intensity or power.
Isart starts with hand-picked, biodynamic fruit. He employs long macerations, whole-bunch ferments, limited usage of SO2 and aging in used barrels (so as not to mask the wines’ glorious aromatics). At the core of the offering is a collection of deep, savoury and extravagantly perfumed Garnachas, while the tiny old-vine parcels of Viña Bonita and Arroyo del Tórtolas synthesise all the magical qualities of this region like few others.
Bernabeleva’s entry-level Navaherreros Garnacha blend is made from fruit grown across the estate’s parcels. Across different soils, orientations and microclimates, the vine age ranges from 50 to 90 years, providing Grenache that deeply reflects the terroir and high-country origins. Fruit from each site is vinified and aged separately in a combination of 500-litre casks, stainless steel and concrete tanks (depending on the features of the vintage).
90pts The Wine Advocate Luis Gutierrez “The 2022 Camino de Navaherreros is pale, light and primary. It was produced with Garnacha and 10% Tempranillo that they picked very early in a very warm summer to keep the alcohol to a moderate 13.5%. It’s nicely textured, and even if it’s not terribly complex, it’s approachable, clean and gives a lot of pleasure“
RRP $60 **Our Special Price $47.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine**
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