2021 Goyo Garcia Georgieva Clarete "Finca los Quemados", Ribera del Duero, Spain

ABOUT THIS WINE

100% Tinta Fina (Tempranillo) from the Los Quemados vineyard of 56-year-old vines planted on red sands with pebbles. At 960m above sea level this is one of the highest vineyards in Ribera del Duero. The grapes are destemmed and macerate for 5-6 days in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. As fermentation begins, the juice is racked off the skins into old French oak barrels to ferment and complete malolactic. This style of shorter maceration winemaking is what Goyo terms “clarete.” Bottled without addition of SO2 and without fining or filtering.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Goyo Garcia Viadero’s roots in Ribera Del Duero run very deep: he has been working in the area since before the establishment of the D.O., and his family has been working in viticulture for hundreds of years. While grape growing and wine making in the region is exceedingly ancient (Goyo’s own cellar dates to the Roman era), the modern history of the region began with the founding of the Ribera del Duero D.O. by 12 wineries in 1982. In the past 40 years, this number has grown massively, and the region’s reputation for extracted, oak influenced wines made primarily from Tempranillo has been solidified by the emergence of nearly 300 bodegas, including the producers of some of the most expensive Spanish wines.

Goyo’s approach makes him the region’s “black sheep”, as he has rejected additives, new oak, and intense extraction which are characteristic of the region’s wines. Instead, greatly inspired by natural winemakers like Pierre Overnoy from the Jura, Goyo began farming without chemicals and making wines in a style more like his grandparents than his neighbors. Beginning with three parcels of old vines in 2003, he has charted his own course in the increasingly industrial and commercial landscape of Ribera del Duero, embracing centenarian vineyards and traditional methods of winemaking in equal measure.

The ancient 4th century lagar and cellar that houses Goyo’s barreled wines is an important part of his winemaking. Dug out of limestone bedrock below the town of Gumiel del Mercado, the labyrinthine cellar is vast, deep, and stays at a very cool temperature year-round. This environment creates the ideal conditions for long, stable fermentations and extended barrel-aging that characterize Goyo’s winemaking. He attributes the stability of his wines partially to this unique cellar.

Goyo’s approach in the cellar is delicate. All grapes are completely destemmed by hand, pressed gently, and fermentations are slow in cold, ancient cellar. For the wines that age in barrel, Goyo employs exclusively very old, very finely grained barriques from Bordeaux. Most wines are bottle-aged for at least a year before release, and sulfur and other additives are never used. Goyo’s careful process produces wines of striking sincerity and elegance that communicate a strong sense of place and simultaneously fit any definition of “natural” wine.