Las Rocas Garnacha 2014

Las Rocas Garnacha offers vibrant aromas and flavors of dark cherry and blackberry. Well-integrated nuances of oak and round tannins underscore these decadent fruit flavors to create a rich, well-structured wine.

For most drinkers, garnacha is a seldom thought-of grape, though it is grown seemingly all around the world (either as garnacha or grenache). This garnacha from Las Rocas hails from Spain’s Catalayud region in between Madrid and Barcelona, and it showcases some of the more inspirational notes of the grape.

It’s fruity for sure, loaded with notes of plum, cassis, and cherry, but it folds in layers of tea leaf, lightly roasted coffee bean, and some beef jerky character. The finish adds in some spices while returning to fruit — strawberries this time — which dulls some of the earlier nuance, but at least it never skimps on power.