What: 100% Garnacha
Who: Mario Lopez and Fernando Mora
Where: Valdejalon, Aragon, Spain
Tastes Like: Intense and jammy, toasted cinnamon and cooked red fruits.
Pairs with: Spaghetti all’Amatriciana; charred vegetables; smoked meats.
The What:
Garnacha (Grenache in France, Canonnau in parts of Italy) is planted widely across the Mediterranean, and flourishes in California and Australia as well. The grape tends toward easy ripening and therefore high alcohol levels. Hallmarks of the grape in blind tastings are a medium body, a hint of citrus rind on the nose, and intense candied cherry notes followed up by oregano or cinnamon. Garnacha from the Catalayud (an area neighboring the Valdejalon) reaches very high sugar content (vinifying to almost 15%), and typically smells of ruby red grapefruit, with lots of cherry and licorice on the palette.
The Where:
Valdejalon is primarily influenced by the River Jalon, with the vineyards owned by Bodegas Frontonio planted on the hillside along the left bank at an average elevation of 350 meters, though some small plots are at elevations up to 700 meters. The climate is Mediterranean-influenced and continental, with high temperatures in summer and medium to low temperatures in winter, very little rain, and continuous wind patterns that help aerate the grape clusters. The winemakers boast that their region has more than 3000 hours of sunshine per year. Soil is mostly grey chalk with a clay layer, helping the vines to hold onto the little rain that falls in the area.
The Who:
Bodegas Frontonio is helmed by 4 friends with a passion for making wine that is delicious, well crafted, yet approachable. Fernando Mora, their master of wine and a former engineer, started making wine in the bathtub of his apartment in 2008. He teamed up with Francisco Latasa to establish the firm, and when the two of them met Mario Lopez (not that Mario Lopez), Bodegas Frontonio was born. Lopez’s father and grandfather planted small vineyards on the family property and for the first time someone really focused in on what could be achieved by working the land. They refer to their style as “Garage Wine!,” or rather, wine made in a garage. Minimal manipulation, attention to detail, and the utmost respect for the environment and the grape are at the focus of the company. All harvest and grape crushing is done by hand (and foot).
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