2018 La Bruja de Rozas, Tinto, Comando G, Spain

Comando G

Comando G is situated in the Sierra de Gredos, part of the larger Castilla y León region in central Spain. The area is known for its rugged terrain, old vineyards, and unique terroir.

Comando G was founded by two friends, Daniel Landi and Fernando García, both highly regarded winemakers passionate about working with old-vine Garnacha grapes in the Gredos mountains. Together, they are dedicated to producing wines that express the terroir of the Sierra de Gredos. They are proponents of minimal intervention winemaking, emphasising the importance of vineyard management and allowing the natural characteristics of the grapes and the land to shine through in their wines.

One of the critical elements of Comando G’s success is its access to old, pre-phylloxera Garnacha vines. These vines are ungrafted and can be well over a century old. The older vines often produce lower yields but produce grapes with exceptional concentration and complexity.

The estate is known for producing single-vineyard Garnacha wines. Each vineyard site they work with is unique, and they aim to capture the distinctiveness of each location in their wines. Some of their famous vineyards include La Bruja de Rozas, Rozas 1er Cru, and Las Umbrías.

Grenache/Garnacha

Grenache (Noir) is widely grown and comes in a variety of styles. Believed to originate in Spain, it was, in the late 20^th century, the most widely planted black grape variety in the world. Today it hovers around seventh in the pecking order. It tends to produce very fruity, rich wines that can range quite widely in their level of tannin.

In many regions – most famously the Southern Rhône, where it complements Syrah and Mourvèdre, among other grapes – it adds backbone and colour to blends, but some of the most notable Châteauneuf du Pape producers (such as Château Rayas) make 100 percent Grenache wines. The grape is a component in many wines of the Languedoc (where you’ll also find its lighter-coloured forms, Grenache Gris and Blanc) and is responsible for much southern French rosé – taking the lead in most Provence styles.

Found all over Spain as Garnacha Tinta (spelt Garnaxa in Catalonia), the grape variety is increasingly detailed on wine labels there. Along with Tempranillo, it forms the majority of the blend for Rioja’s reds and has been adopted widely in Navarra, where it produces lighter styles of red and rosado (rosé). It can also be found operating under a pseudonym, Cannonau, in Sardinia.