Bodegas Valdemar “La Gargantilla”
WHY WE LOVE IT
- La Gargantilla, shaped like a necklace, is the family’s iconic 6.7-hectare Garnacha vineyard in eastern Rioja, at an altitude of 680 meters.
- Its stony, sandy, and ferrous clay soils create an ideal environment for 45-year-old vines, which benefit from summer breezes and significant temperature shifts.
- This unique climate supports a biodiversity project that enhances the vineyard’s natural balance, enabling hand-picking of only the best grapes.
Varietal: 100% Garnacha
Elaboration: The grapes are hand-picked and selected. The wine spends 14 months in French Allier 225-liter oak barrels.
Tasting Notes: This wine is filled with bright, medium-red cherry color. It displays intense aromas with fine nuances of red fruit (cherry, redcurrant), floral notes of lavender, and spicy touches. Very expressive and varietal. Smooth on the palate with hints of red fruits and fresh spices. Delicate, elegant, and vibrant throughout. Very long aftertaste.
PRESS
2019 – 94 Wine Enthusiast | 93 James Suckling | 90 Wine Spectator
2021 – 93 Jeb Dunnuck | 92 James Suckling
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
“Always pioneering” is Bodegas Valdemar’s motto. Five generations of the Valdemar family in Rioja, Spain, have remained committed to producing wines reflecting the diversity of their vineyards. For over 135 years, the family has incorporated innovative initiatives like creating the first barrel-fermented white wine and the first Tempranillo white. They have also been instrumental in recovering varietals presumed to be extinct, such as the Maturana grape and the Granciano variety.
In 2019, they established the first non-American winery in Washington State, led by siblings Jesús and Ana Martínez Bujanda, CEO and COO of Valdemar Estates. Under the “inherited know-how” they received from previous generations, the innovative winemakers have turned their land into sustainable wine agroecosystems, using organic matter to improve fertility, cover crops, pheromones to control pests, varietal diversity, biological corridors, and native forests, resulting in an the International “Wineries for Climate Protection” certification. This designation’s four pillars align with the Bodegas Valdemar commitment to reducing the carbon footprint, using renewable energies, and managing water while reducing waste.