wUst Fine Wine Imports
wines U should try!
Ramon Reula
In my ongoing search to find interesting and different expressions of each grape varietal based on the terroir of each region I had an interesting "unexpected" find in the Unexpected Garnacha produced by the Ramon Reula family in Aragon. The Unexpected part of the name is based on their family's project to find very old abandoned parcels of vines throughout the region and each find is pretty much unexpected in the vast landscape of Aragon. In my initial tastings of wines from their family's project, all the wines I tasted were very expressive and well made but I decided to start with the Garnacha first and hopefully add more of their wines in the future.
As for looking for different terroirs for interesting expressions of each grape varietal, I already have examples of Garnacha from the slate of Priorat and Montsant, the deep clays of Terra Alta, and the granitic sand of both DO Madrid and DO Cebreros in the Sierra de Gredos. With this Garnacha from Aragon, I am adding an additional set of minerally with the limestone influences in the Jiloca River valley.
The dramatic landscapes of Aragon!
The Wine
“Unexpected” Garnacha 2021 (OF)
This is old vine Garnacha from vineyards that are all at least 100 years old that are in the Jiloca River valley south of Zaragoza. The “Unexpected” theme is that all the vineyards used for this wine had been abandoned for a long time and had been unexpectedly found only through the surprise of finding such old vineyards in remote places in the Jiloca valley.
Aromas include dark cherries, dark plums, boysenberries, blueberries, and red peaches. Flavors include dark cherries, boysenberries, and blueberries. There is a medium body, perfect balance and acidity, and a long and rich medium finish.
Food pairings would include roast beef, short ribs, beef stew, rack of lamb, veal chops, pork chops, tenderloin, and shoulder, grilled chicken, duck, cassoulet, grilled sausages, BBQ ribs, salmon, swordfish, tuna, calamari, paella, pasta with tomato sauces, Asian and Mexican beef, pork, and chicken dishes, Asian appetizers, lamb curries, red curries, Middle Eastern food, tacos, tapas, charcuterie, and medium to creamy cheeses.
