Region: Vinos de Madrid, Spain

Varietal: 100% Garnacha (Grenache)

Tasting notes: The pale, floral and aromatic 2021 Navaherreros Garnacha de Bernabeleva shows really elegantly, with a sophistication and complexity beyond its price point. It has contained ripeness, 14% alcohol and full development of aromas and flavors, with a fine thread in the nicely textured palate and very fine tannins. It's the best Navaherreros to date

Producer: In 1923, Dr Vicente Álvarez-Villamil bought Bernabeleva, an estate in San Martín de Valdeiglesias (Madrid). It is located at the foot of the Cerro de Guisando and the Gredos mountains and adjacent to the Tórtolas stream that formed the border of two Roman provinces: Lusitania and Tarraconense. For decades, Dr Álvarez-Villamil’s descendants have fondly taken care of the old vines he planted, with the intention of someday producing quality honest wines. The logo represents the goddess of hunt, to whom, in ancient times, sacred forests were dedicated. In pre Roman cultures, consecration of a forest to this deity was signaled on tree barks or on something more imperishable like stone. Bernabeleva, literally, means the path of the bear, where the bear lives, or next to the bear.

Vineyard and Winemaking: Navaherrerros is a red wine made from grenache grapes from every vineyard in the estate. Through different soils, orientations and microclimates, it expresses San Martin de Valdeiglesias' terroir. The ages of the vines range from 40 to 80 and planting densities from 1,900 to 2,200 vines per hectare. Vineyards are manually harvested. Vinification takes place in wood, stainless steel or concrete tanks, depending on the features of the grapes, for each site is vinified and aged separately.