2022 Comando G, Castilla y Leon, El Tamboril Tinto

At Comando G, they focus on reviving high altitude, old vineyards and showcasing the unique terroir of each of these old vineyard sites. Their wines are characterized by elegance, purity, and a sense of place, often displaying vibrant acidity and notes of red fruit, spice, and minerality – a bit atypical for this variety but quite like Chateau Rayas in the Rhone Valley. There is a soulful intensity to these wines that only the world’s greatest wines display - character, balance and just flat-out deliciousness. This comes from the DOP (appellation) of Cebreros near the town of Navatalgordo. It's a 70-75-year-old, north-facing vineyard planted at ~4000 feet above sea level on purely granitic soils. Due to the high elevation and north-facing exposition, this wine usually comes in around 13% ABV, but in this intense, Mediterranean, solar '22 vintage, it clocked in at 15%. Don't be spooked by the elevated alcohol as these wines wear it gracefully with balance and freshness.