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GREDOS:THE APPELLATION THAT COULD HAVE BEEN

– Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate #223, March 4th 2016

91+ It’s a fluid and fresh, fruit-driven Garnacha with a tantalizing nose of flowers, with an herbal twist, wild strawberries and a flinty hint. The palate has some sour cherry flavors with very good tension and minerality, ending dry. This is a great introduction to Gredos at a fantastic price.

2014 COMANDO G LA BRUJA DE ROZAS

94 The wine developed some yeast veil akin to the Vin Jaune from the Jura. The nose shows some of that mushroomy, morel and curry aromas, and the palate has a fine texture, with some tannin (it was not kept with the skins). Only 118 bottles were filled from two glass demijohns.

2013 COMANDO G EL TAMBORIL

93 Here the minerality is more pronounced than in the Bruja, longer and more persistent, more refined. When it comes to the two vintages tasted, it’s hard to decide between this and the 2013, as the 2013 right now is extremely attractive, but in the long run this 2014 might turn better.

2014 COMANDO G ROZAS 1ER CRU

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P L A C E OV E R P R O C E S S

98

92

Let me get this out as soon as possible: the 2013 Rumbo Al Norte might very well be the best wine ever produced by Comando G (so far). Tremendously austere and mineral, the tactile sensation is akin to licking granite. And you might remember how coarse and cold granite is... This is simply superb.

It has red berry fruit and something citric and aromas and a sensation akin to berry kernels and wet stones. The palate is vivacious, with fine tannins, a lively texture that show energy and a minerality that might remind of chalk. The village has granite soils at some 750 meters altitude. There is very good freshness in this 2014, with nice balance of fruit.

2013 COMANDO G RUMBO AL NORTE

2014 DANI LANDI LAS UVAS DE LA IRA

95 The nose of the 2013 Cantos del Diablo is really showy, very intense aromatically, mixing citric notes with hints of peated malt and Mediterranean herbs, some yellow flowers and balsamic hints, almost cola nut. The palate has incredible tension and a subtle granite minerality with a texture that feels more like limestone than granite. This is really superb.

2013 DANI LANDI CANTOS DEL DIABLO

93

96

There is a big difference tasting this next to the 2014, as one year in bottle has made the wine settle down, and there are more citric characteristics, more complexity and depth in this 2013. There’s also something floral and leafy, very attractive and long rather than wide, with sparkling acidity and very good length, lifted by that fine granite texture.

The nose is intoxicating: dry flowers, wild berries, spices, wet stones, rock rose, something citric... The palate is sharp as a knife, even when figures might not show very high acidity. Again this is much more concentrated and powerful than it seems. Deciding between these micro cuvées is splitting hairs.

2013 COMANDO G ROZAS 1ER CRU

2013 COMANDO G TUMBA DEL REY MORO

97 It might seem like a Rosé, but then you find the proverbial iron fist inside that velvet glove. The entry is very light and then it hits you back with those granular tannins and that upfront granite minerality. Light, perfumed, ethereal and simply superb, this is the essence of Gredos in a glass. Garnacha perfume.

2013 COMANDO G LAS UMBRIAS

96 There is some muskiness, perhaps spices over the dried flowers, and the nose seems to change by the minute. The palate feels weightless; it dances on your tongue like a ballet dancer but it also has the muscle, inner power and grip that makes it stronger than it seems. This wine achieves something that is very difficult -- to be powerful but look light.

2013 DANI LANDI LAS IRUELAS

95 The nose of this wine is all full of lavender, curry and other spices, more Mediterranean with some aromas reminiscent of vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied, sharp and somehow austere, at least not as opulent as other years. The acidity gives it a sharp texture and a citric component that makes it very tasty and makes you salivate.

2013 DANI LANDI EL REVENTÓN

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91 ... a ripe and unctuous wine with already some aromas of honey and dry hay, with the fruit being yellow rather than white and the character more Mediterranean than the 2014 I tasted next to it. The palate is quite round, with nice glycerin, the classical Albillo flavors and that pleasant bitter finish.

2013 BODEGAS MARAÑONES PIESDESCALZOS

90 The wine has aromas of white flowers and some citric notes. There is a medium body palate with good freshness, containing the glycerin and unctuous part of the variety and showing the saline minerality of the granite and the classical bitter finish of the variety.

2014 BODEGAS MARAÑONES PICARANA

93 The palate is medium-bodied with very good freshness and fine, underlying minerality that makes it very tasty, long and sapid. The salty minerality is nicely combined with the classical bitterness of the variety. This is a great expression of Albillo and the granite soils. Year in, year out, among the best whites from Gredos.

2014 BODEGAS MARAÑONES PIESDESCALZOS

90 The nose shows bright berries, quite floral, aromatic and expensive with some aromas that made me think of carbonic maceration. This wine never saw any oak, and is focused and clean. The palate also shows nicely defined, with fine tannins and pure flavors, very clean. Fresh and easy to drink.

2014 BODEGAS MARAÑONES TREINTAMIL MARAVEDÍES

If we go into names, I'm tempted to say everything that Daniel Gómez Jiménez-Landi and Fernando García touch turns into gold, but I wouldn't go that far. However, they dominated the top of the hierarchy with their joint-venture Comando G, Daniel Landi's solo project, the Marañones range under the supervision of García.

–LUIS GUTIÉRREZ

P L A C E OV E R P R O C E S S

94 ... reveals itself in the shape of aromas of blood oranges, violets and wild strawberries, dried flowers and spices with a musky hint. The palate is also very refined, showing poise, great balance and freshness, harmonious and insinuating. It’s a lot more powerful that it seems, but because of the balance and minerality that give it inner power, it might seem light.

2013 BODEGAS MARAÑONES PEÑA CABALLERA

91 There are some aromas that reminded me of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, cherries in liqueur, some spices and garrigue, showing some development. The palate is round and feels polished, with some remaining tannins providing some kick.

2012 BODEGAS MARAÑONES PEÑA CABALLERA

92 The wine shows the classical berry style of the wines from San Martín, with hints of blackthorns and some aromatic herbs. The palate shows very good balance, certain austerity from the late, cool vintage and the granite soils.

2013 BODEGAS MARAÑONES MARAÑONES

91 The nose feels very fresh and a little funky, with some cassis coming through in between the wild berries and the flowers, quite attractive, with no oak whatsoever. The palate is fresh, vivacious, with marked acidity and it makes you salivate. This is approachable, different, with marked personality. A completely new style of Gredos.

2014 BODEGAS MARAÑONES DARÍO

90 The wine is always a more Mediterranean expression of Garnacha, with aromas of cherries in liqueur. It is fully mature now, and even shows some orange tints and a round and polished palate with fine-grained tannins. More Rhône-ish.

2013 BODEGAS MARAÑONES LABROS