2020 Contino Graciano
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No one believed this could be a single-variety wine, yet here we are. The 2020 Contino Graciano is truly impressive, outstanding really, a 100% Garnacha with deep layers of violet, balsamic, and tart red fruit. The acidity is well-integrated within a medium-bodied level of intensity, the grapes grown on vineyards planted in 1979. There’s good acidity and tension. It will be age-worthy for 20 years.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
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I tasted two vintages of some wines, including the varietal Graciano. The 2020 Graciano was produced with grapes that were picked on September 22 with moderate ripeness, delivering a wine with 13.58% alcohol, a low pH (3.25) and notable acidity (6.8) but much lower than the 2021 that I tasted next to it. I find it to be quite different from the 2021 I tasted next to it; this feels more rustic and less perfumed, with a note of tar, licorice and ink. The palate shows some earthiness and a dry finish. It matured in French oak barrels for two years. 5,236 bottles were filled in June 2023.
The 2020 Graciano, sourced from Laserna in the Laguardia area, Rioja, aged for two years in used French oak barrels. This purple-hued wine presents notes of plums and ashes, complemented by hints of spice and oak. Dry and medium-bodied on the palate, the fine and reactive tannins lead to a cleansing and lasting finish. The 2020 is both tasty and nicely balanced.