Vina Zorzal Garnacha 2022

Founded back in 1989, the overarching goal of Viña Zorzal is to rescue and promote the area’s indigenous varieties. They do this by meticulously dry-farming gnarly old vines throughout vineyards along the lower bank of the Ebro River, a distinct advantage when you’re trying to produce the freshest wines possible.

Their bread and butter is Garnacha (Grenache). I have had a few from this great winery now and they all share some of the same characteristics – they’re bright and fresh with tons of energy and pure, juicy fruit. They have some good weight, but they’re not heavy. Instead, they’re all medium- to full-bodied efforts that dance in the glass while still remaining light.

This newest release is the perfect intro if you haven’t had these wines, and if you have, this is what you love. A 2022 release that comes from vines 60+ years in age, it’s absolutely bursting out of the bottle with red and black fruits, notes of red licorice, and even some spicier notes towards the end.

The Wine Advocate gave it a rave 92-point score, a pretty impressive feat considering the release price. They called out a “juicy mouthfeel with good grip and tension” and even called out “a touch of honey and beeswax” in their tasting note. All this is to say that this little number has FAR MORE going for it than pretty much any Grenache you could possibly find for under $20/bottle.