Surprise Chasselas 2017

Ruben Diaz is born and bred in Cebreros, Avila, one of the principal villages at the forefront of the Gredos wine reawakening. And he, like his much more celebrated and better known peer Dani Landi, is one of the emblematic winemakers of the area. He believes that Garnacha is a part of his DNA. It was back in 1999 when the rights to their land were about to be sold that Ruben went to check out the vines. He's never been involved but studied, learnt from others and fell in love with Gredos Garnacha. He is interested in keeping wine keeping as it has been done for 100's of years , with minimal intervention to truly express the exact state of the soil, the winemaker, the vineyard and the weather to the glass. He doesn't use a single non-organic solution. "I'm happy with my work, and they say that it always shows in the results". Winemaking Detail: 82 year old vines. Destemmed and fermented on skins at 21C for 30 days. Aged in large oak barrels for 1-2 years to obtain Madre. 225L barrel filled in 2011 with air gap to encourage oxidization. No battonage with flor formed for first year. Wine drawn off with 3-4 year old wine replacing it.

82 year old vines. Destemmed and fermented on skins at 21C for 30 days. Aged in large oak barrels for 1-2 years to obtain Madre. 225L barrel filled in 2011 with air gap to encourage oxidization. No battonage with flor formed for first year. Wine drawn off with 3-4 year old wine replacing it.

Dark yellow and brown but still bright. Clean; oxidative nose; walnut; cooked apples and dates. Dry but with plenty of white; crisp fruit; old apples and pears. Clean and super fresh; brisk acidity and juicy finish. Moreish.

Hard-cheese, Harder-cheese, Sushi

The wine region of Sierra de Gredos, about a 90 minute drive west of Madrid, is found around its namesake mountain range where it enjoys a warm continental climate at around 650-1200 meters high. Here its ancient winemaking culture has been reawakened by a new young crowd making their mark on the international wine scene. Predominantly growing organically with no added yeasts and using huge oak barrels and tinajas (clay jars), they make wines from old vine Garnaha and Albillo in sandy, slate and granitic soil. Though the Garnacha here tends to be more acidic and tannic, having evolved on these higher granitic soils they age well and can have an ethereal, almost Burgundian finesse, developing tertiary notes of forest floor and mushrooms.