Garmon Continental Ribera Del Duero 2018

Other Reds | Spain

DC98, VN94, WA94

SPECIAL: GROUND SHIPPING INCLUDED ON ORDERS OF 3 BOTTLES OR MORE!

New $ 80.00 $ 54.95 | 750mL

This wine! This price! YES! If you love big and bold reds, from Napa to Bordeaux to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, you are going to lose your mind for this… 100% tempranillo…98 points…over 30% off!

Garmón Continental is the newest project from our favorite Ribera del Duero family producers, the Garcias. Mariano and his sons, Eduardo and Alberto, have just crushed it with San Ramon and Mauro, which Mariano started after his reign as Vega Sicilia's winemaker since he was just 24 years old. (He also was the mastermind behind Pintia and Aalto...so basically, he's an infallible legend when it comes to wineries.) In 2014, they added Garmón Continental, and boy is it a gem! Focusing on ancient tempranillo vines (up to 100 years old) with low yields in the very heart of the Duero region, this is the only wine produced at this brand-new, state-of-the-art facility. 2018 is unquestionably the best effort to date and will compete with heavy hitters around the globe at four, eight, or ten times the price! Master of Wine Tim Akin's has gone so far as to classify Garmón as a First Growth for Ribera del Duero, alongside the legendary estates of Vega Sicilia and Pingus. You'd pay up to $400 for the Vega Sicilia Unico, and an astronomical $800+ for the Pingus! I'll take six of these at $54.95 any day!

Raised for 20 months in all French oak barrels, this wine is powerfully structured, with considerable tannins and tension, but the cool continental climate lends an ethereal, high-toned entry loaded with white flowers, red berries, and cool vanilla. This is reminiscent of old-school Bordeaux, harmonizing floral aromatics with an edgy rusticity. The palate swells to reveal deep blueberry and blackberry notes, with lavender candies, fennel roasted over a wood fire, and a deep, mineral edge on the finish. This is a classic in the making and a true “coming out” party for Spain’s next superstar wine. At $54.95, this is a tremendous value and one you’ll be glad to have obtained before the world comes to realize what this is all about! With FREE SHIPPING on three, that's just $165 for 294 POINTS of monumentally epic wine delivered to your doorstep. Fortune favors the bold, indeed! While it lasts!

About the Producer

If you love big bold reds with ripe mouth coating flavor and rich oak finish like good Napa Cab or top Bordeaux then you will love this 98 point treasure.

98 Decanter - Read

It's easy to forget that the first vintage of Garmón was as recent as 2014, such is the quality of the wine, but the García family's long-standing association with the region has certainly contributed to its success. Picked 10 days later than the 2017, this is my favourite release yet, combining vineyards between 30 and 100 years' old in Anguix, Baños de Valdearados, Moradillo and Tubilla. Chalky, balanced and effortlessly refined, with notes of red berries, fennel and spice, subtle oak and thrilling freshness. A truly great Ribera.

94 Vinous - Read

Deep, brillian violet. Expansive, cherry, blueberry, potpourri and exotic spice qualities on the intensely perfumed nose; vanilla and woodsmoke nuances add complexity. Deep, sweet and focused on the palette, offering powerful red and dark berry compote, lavendar pastille and licorice flavors and a suave floral overtone. A spicy nuance gains strength on the long, energetic and youthfully tannic finish, which leaves smoke and mineral notes behind.

94 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - Read

The only wine they produce here, the 2018 Garmón is pure Tempranillo from different villages with a continental climate, old organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards that are not certified. It fermented by village with indigenous yeasts and matured in 225-liter French oak barrels for 20 months. This reflects the cooler character of the year, and they maybe used a little more used oak (50/50). The wine is fresher, has a lot more acidity and is aromatic and open, with a better balance without losing structure. This is the finest wine they have produced so far, and they told me this is the kind of wine they wanted to make in Ribera del Duero, the Mauro style with finesse and elegance. It brought me to the character of the wines from yesteryear, rustic but with elegance, full of character and with energy and aging potential. 50,120 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2020.

BlendTempranillo
WinemakerMariano Garcia
CountrySpain
RegionRibera del Duero
AppellationRibera del Duero
Farming MethodBiodynamic Practices
Aging/Cooperage20 months in 225 L French oak barrels
Alcohol14.5%