Botani Garnacha 2024 750ml

The surprise of the lineup! We sat seaside, drinking chilled bottles of this and it was amazing. Botani planted a small parcel of Garnacha in the Villazo area of El Borge, using cuttings from old vineyards in Calatayud. The vines sit on a western-facing mountainside with inclines reaching around 60%, planted directly into slate and quartz. It is dry-farmed, worked entirely by hand and fermented in open-top vessels before aging for six months in neutral 600-liter French oak demi-muids. The 2024 is wonderfully transparent Garnacha, with red cherry and wild strawberry, herbs, spice and warm Mediterranean fruit, but without heaviness. Fine tannins and a stony, almost dusty texture keep the wine lifted and surprisingly elegant. It's a fascinating example of what Garnacha can become when you move it onto these extreme Mediterranean mountain slopes.