| When we got the opportunity to taste through the Goyo Garcia Viadero lineup recently, I knew we were in for a treat. But I wasn't expecting to have my entire idea of a region, even of a country, changed by the experience. As you learn more about wine and taste more widely, these sorts of paradigm shifts become increasingly rare. When they do happen, though, they're all the more impactful. Immediately upon tasting these wines, they became new benchmarks for me: new expectations of what Ribera del Duero, classic Spanish varieties, and even Spain as a whole is capable of. Today, we’re pleased to offer a wide range of stunning wines from Goyo Garcia Viadero. Ribera del Duero deals in many of the same varieties as Rioja – Tempranillo, Graciano, Grenache – but the wines rarely convey the kind of timeless soufulness that great Rioja does. The shadow of Vega Sicilia, Spain’s most famous winery, looms large here, and seems to be the reason so many Ribera wines are wines of ego, more concerned with getting high scores and cultivating exclusive mailing lists than conveying a sense of place. Even as much of the industry has moved away from this style, the vast majority of Ribera wines are exorbitantly high alcohol, slathered in new oak, and muddled up with “international” varieties like Cabernet and Merlot. What makes it especially frustrating was that Ribera del Duero is home to incredible viticultural treasures: dry-farmed vineyards, frequently over one hundred years old, at high elevations and on a diverse array of soils. These were what Goyo Garcia Viadero fell in love with, what made him decide to make wine under his own name. Goyo was born into one of the region’s famous winemaking families, producers of some of the expensive-but-soulless wines the region staked its claim on. But while working in the vineyards and consulting around Ribera, Goyo became convinced that the wines being made weren’t accurate representations of what could be achieved there. In the early 2000s, he made the difficult decision to step away from the family business and pursue a more terroir-driven model of Ribera del Duero. Goyo Garcia Viadero is staunchly committed to transmitting a sense of place through his wines. Almost all of his vineyards are over eighty years old, and he farms them organically, without herbicides, pesticides, or artificial fertilizer. His bottlings are complete pictures of whole vineyards – sometimes a single variety, sometimes red varieties co-fermented with the whites planted alongside them. His wines are all fermented with indigenous yeast and aged until stable, with no additions, not even sulfur. The resulting wines feel impossible: the robustness and density of classic Spanish reds framed by a structure that calls to mind great Northern Rhône or even Burgundy wines. Much is made of Goyo’s “naturalness”. The first thing you often read about him is that he’s the guy who makes natural wine in conservative Ribera del Duero. But there’s an important distinction to make here. He doesn’t belong to the natural winemaking camp that prizes experimentation, “funkiness” and chuggable deliciousness (which we love!). Rather he is a natural winemaker in the mold of Paolo Bea, Bernard Baudry, or even DRC: those who believe that centuries-old techniques and minimal intervention from the winemaker is the best avenue for conveying terroir. These are serious, terroir-reflective, ageworthy wines whose naturalness is incidental; there is no doubt that they belong alongside the great wines of France and Italy.
To order, please click here. Shipping and curbside pickup are available, as always. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to respond to this email.
Mix & match for a discount of 10% off 6 bottles, 15% off 12 bottles automatically applied at checkout.
Wines arrive Friday, August 14th.
1) Goyo Garcia Viadero "García Georgieva" Blanco 2018 750ml
Sale Price: $56.99/btl!! BUY NOW
6-Pack Discount Price: $51.29/btl!!
12-Pack Discount Price: $48.45/btl!!
This slighly orange wine is made from centenarian vines of Albillo & Malvasia, hand-harvested, destemmed, and pressed in an old-fashioned basket press. The wine is fermented with wild yeasts in steel vat with about 25 days skin contact, and then raised in the same vat on fine lees, bottled in early spring without fining, filtration or added SO2. Apricots commingle with seaspray and white tea on the nose. The palate is more linear, led by salt and dried lemons, bright acidity, and just a faint touch of tannic grip. Serious but also refreshing.
2) Goyo Garcia Viadero Ribera del Duero "Clarete Finca Los Quemados" 2019 750ml
Sale Price: $34.99/btl!! BUY NOW
6-Pack Discount Price: $31.49/btl!!
12-Pack Discount Price: 29.75/btl!!
A fascinating halfway point between a rosé and red, this is 100% Tempranillo given a brief cold soak before being drained to barrels to undergo fermentation. The resulting wine is berry-loaded and hugely floral, fruity richness balanced by vibrant acidity. This single vineyard is planted at high elevation. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed and fermented with wild yeasts in steel tank with 3 months of skin maceration, then raised 12 months in 8-10 year-old French oak barriques. Bottling is without fining, filtration or any addition of SO2. This is a classic Ribera del Duero with fabulous tension between dark fruit, florals, minerals and acidity. In short, the way Ribera should taste. Pair with blood sausage, charcuterie, and grilled lamb chops.
3) Goyo Garcia Viadero Ribera del Duero "Joven de Viñas Viejas" 2018 750ml
Sale Price: $27.99/btl!! BUY NOW
6-Pack Discount Price: $25.19/btl!!
12-Pack Discount Price: 23.79/btl!!
This is Goyo’s only non-oaked red wine, from a dry-farmed vineyard planted entirely to Tempranillo at high elevation. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed and fermented with wild yeasts in steel tank with 3 months of skin maceration, then raised entirely in tank before being bottled without fining, filtration or any addition of SO2. For a Joven wine, this is strikingly serious and thoughtful without being heavy or extracted. Red and black fruits, with spice and violet show expressively on the nose after 30 minutes open, while the palate is a bit darker and more savory, with taut acidity, pretty tannins and a long finish. In short, the way Ribera should taste.
4) Goyo Garcia Viadero Ribera del Duero Graciano "Finca Guijarrales" 2017 750ml
Sale Price: $51.99/btl!! BUY NOW
6-Pack Discount Price: $46.79/btl!!
12-Pack Discount Price: $44.19/btl!!
This vineyard is planted entirely to Graciano, and sits on river stones and red sand at high elevation facing north-northwest. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed and fermented with wild yeasts in steel vat for 10-15 days and 3 months of skin maceration, and then raised 12 months in old finely-grained Bordeaux barriques without racking. Bottling is without fining, filtration, or any addition of SO2. This is an acid-driven, juice-laden red wine that will demand your attention. The nose is soaring and beautiful, very Syrah-like in its crunchy black fruit and purple flowers. The palatealate is linear and vibrant, fleshing out the tart red side of the nose, with bloody iron savoriness and serious weight. The palate fills out with some almost like rye-like black pepper spice, very long and elegant.
5) Goyo Garcia Viadero "Beâtum" 2018 750ml
Sale Price: $62.99/btl!! BUY NOW
6-Pack Discount Price: $56.69/btl!!
12-Pack Discount Price: $53.54/btl!!
An outlier in the Goyo Garcia lineup in that it comes from Cantabria, just to the north of Ribera, where Goyo's mother is from. This unusual red wine is comprised of 80% Mencía and 20% Palomino, a vineyard mix often-times found in the Cantabria region in northern Spain. The vines are at least 80 years old and are planted on broken slate soils. The wine is co-fermented, red and white grapes, with wild yeasts in steel vats, and then raised for 12 months in old French oak barrels without any SO2, yielding an aromatic wine, red in color, with formidable structure, like Morgon meets Barolo. The nose is herbaceous and lifted, laden with juicy dark plums and an almost eucalyptus or mintlike edge. The palate is dense and structured, immediately calling to mind St. Joseph or even Cornas, laden with juicy purple fruits, black pepper, and a slatey mineral core.
6) Goyo Garcia Viadero Ribera Del Duero "Finca El Peruco" 2015 750ml
Sale Price: $69.99/btl!! BUY NOW
6-Pack Discount Price: $62.99/btl!!
12-Pack Discount Price: $59.49/btl!!
Comprised of 85% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 15% Albillo, this single vineyard sits at 1,000 meters elevation, one of the highest points in the Ribera del Duero, on profoundly chalky, clay-calcareous soils. The wine is fermented in a small foudre and then raised in 14 year old barrels for 2-3 years and then another year or two in bottle before release. No sulfur or any other winemaking products are used in the making of this wine. The high elevation, chalky soils, and non-interventionist vinification gives a firmly coiled and austere wine, with powdery dark Burgundian-like fruit that coats the palate for minutes. One of the most profound Tempranillo-based wines ever tasted.
Wines arrive Friday, August 14th.
Mix & match for a discount of 10% off 6 bottles, 15% off 12 bottles automatically applied at checkout.
To order, please click here. Shipping and curbside pickup are available, as always. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to respond to this email. |
