94-96 WA

"There is a new old-vine Garnacha 2020 Mata Quemada from the village of Torrijo de la Cañada, a marginal and wetter zone of Calatayud closer to Soria where, in the past, there were three million kilos of grapes and now there are only four plots of vines, only two of them planted with Garnacha. This is at 980 meters in altitude on slate soils and the grapes ripen slowly and later, planted mostly with 80% to 85% Garnacha with some Bobal and white grapes. The used 40% whole bunches that fermented with all the varieties together in an open pool with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in two Flextank eggs. The wine is paler and more aromatic than any of its siblings, with a showy nose of balsam and cooking spices, nutmeg and Jamaica pepper, close to a vermouth and reminiscent of a Barolo Chinato with tons of aromatic herbs and fennel. Robertson told me he thinks it's the combination of altitude, slate and slow ripening (the grapes from 2020 were picked the 3rd of October, quite late for an early vintage). It's medium-bodied and has very fine grainy tannins. Very surprising and different. It's close to 14% alcohol, but you don't feel it. This is sold without appellation of origin. Super! 2,300 bottles should be filled in October–November 2021." - - Luis Gutierrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 5/23

Master of Wine Norrel Robertson might not have the cool long beard of Raul Perez (such things are hard for some Scotsmen), but one could argue that Norrel is to Catalayud what Raul is to Bierzo. Nobody in history has done more than Norrel to showcase the dynamic terroir of this region, although ironically you'll seldom see the Catalayud DO marked on his bottles, as Norrel feels that some of the current (backward) regulations there hamper his overall creative mission (for example, he enjoys the contribution of Viognier to his bush-vine Syrah bottlings).