Bodegas Maranones Maranones 2022 750ml

White-pepper funk with iron, chalk and grilled grapefruit. Medium-bodied, showing good fruit definition and grippy, Barolo-like tannins. Especially structured with a nice sense of austerity to balance the fruit. Drink from 2026.

The 2022 Marañones Garnacha Tinta is great but has tough competition in the shape of the 2023 vintage of this same wine. This is their estate Garnacha, sourced exclusively from the main property located in the lieu-dit that names the project and this wine. There are different kinds of granite—white, pink and brown—and there's also a diversity of expositions and altitudes where the old vines, ranging from 50 to 70 years of age, extract the nutrients from deep down in the soil that is transferred to the wine in the shape of a texture (to me, minerality is a texture, not an aroma or flavor) that is fine-boned, with small granularity and a sense of freshness and saltiness. It has 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.48, coupled with 5.02 grams of acidity. It fermented in 3,000- to 4,500-liter oak vats and stainless steel and matured in oak and concrete vats ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 liters of capacity for some 15 months. 22,250 bottles produced. It was bottled in the spring of 2024.

The 2022 Garnacha Tinta Marañones blends grapes from seven estate parcels from the Paraje Marañones in San Martín de Valdeiglesias. Aromas of rose, sour cherry, wild herbs, pomegranate, watermelon and rosehip mingle with a note of dry leaves. The 2022 is expressive, energetic and long with a saline lift and fine-grained tannins.

A sleek red, with a well-tailored feel and fine, taut tannins that bring pleasing tension. Offers flavors of creamed cherry, black raspberry, sage, lavender, sandalwood and anise, all backed by bergamot-infused acidity. Lightly chewy on the finish. Drink now through 2036. 1,979 cases made, 102 cases imported.

The 100% Garnacha expresses itself fully, both in the nose and in the mouth, with flavours of blackthorn, a sensation of fleshy fruit retaining a slightly crispy texture. Then comes a full silkiness, with the granularity of these granite soils rich in quartz. That nugget of quartz is noticeable in the texture, length, fineness, elegance and the floral element of the wine.