During our Grenache wine tasting last week, we tasted and totally enjoyed the 2005 Los Rocas de San Alejandro. This is another wonderful value oriented Garnacha from an old vineyard in Calatayud, Spain. The Garnacha vines are over 80 years old and account for about two-thirds of Calatayud's production. This is an arid area on either side of the Jalón River with low yielding vineyards consisting of a brown limestone and slate soil content. The climate has large temperature differences between night and day. Because of this, harvest is generally much later than in other parts of Aragon and the result is a more balanced end product. Other products that thrive in this soil include olives and cherries. This wine is relatively new and well received with a recent score of a 90 from the Wine Advocate. In the early 2000's French winemaker, Jean-Marc Lafage teamed up with wine importer Eric Solomon to create their own label called, "Las Rocas" from the luscious Garnacha found here.
All of the above details show-off the terroir in the wine. The aromas, the flavors and the finish are mostly a result of the characteristics of the land. I found lovely aromas of berries, cherries black pepper and wet earth. Because the wine is not aged on oak, the flavors include full forward fruit of blackberries, anise spice, pepper, and taste of minerals rather than wood. The wine has a medium to generous finish which seems balanced with a bit of depth.
If you see this wine on the shelf at a wine shop, give it a try! Enjoy this with tapas, or charcuterie, a hearty chicken stew or a braised pork shank.
