2022 Comando G Navatalgordo Garnacha

It’s time to leave your preconceptions at the door, as Comando G produce Garnacha (Grenache) unlike anyone else in Spain. Comando G’s Daniel Landi and Fernando Garcia craft Garnacha up in the near inaccessible hills of the Sierra de Gredos mountains which are miles away (figuratively and literally) from the dark, powerful, brooding wines of Priorat that hit the scene 20 years or so ago. These are a different breed of Garnacha, light, ethereal, built on tension and finesse. There’s no lack of concentration however, and they have much more in common with high-end Burgundy than what you would normally associate with Spain. Word is well and truly out on these special wines, with demand far outstripping supply and prices skyrocketing on the secondary market.

Other Reviews....
The 2022 Navatalgordo, a village red from the village of the same name, is one of two completely new village wines from 2022, as the one from Rozas is an evolution of the Rozas 1er Cru. This was produced to reflect the character of the village, showcasing wines with tension and sharpness. It comes from soils with lots of quartz and was made with their own grapes and ones purchased from growers that have been working together with them at an average 1,100 meters in altitude. It fermented with full clusters in concrete and oak vats with 35- to 40-day maceration, and its élevage was in concrete and oak foudres. This village produces wines with lower alcohol, lower pH and higher acidity, even in warmer years like 2022. And the wine has more color, even if the alcohol is lower, from the cold. It's a wine that needs more time, more Barolo with a chalky character and slow development. It has a very floral and expressive nose, with electric acidity, and is tense, serious. This is the 2022 that feels less like 2022... Only with time in the glass did it develop some meaty aromas (Bovril?) and spiciness, which pointed at a warmer year and more Gevrey character. It has a contained 13% alcohol and a pH of around 3.0! Incredible parameters for a year like 2022. 11,047 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2023. Only a little sulfur was added at bottling time, never before, as they feel the profile of the wine is more apt to work without added sulfur. Drink 2024-2034.
96 points
Luis Gutiérrez - Wine Advocate (Dec 08, 2023)