Bodegas Frontonio El Jardin de las Iguales Garnacha 2023

Bodegas Frontonio El Jardin de las Iguales Garnacha 2023

Bodegas Frontonio
$375.00

Grape: Garnacha
Vintage: 2023
Type: Red

Sourced from a tiny, ancient 1.8-hectare amphitheater vineyard in Valdejalón planted in 1898, this single-parcel bottling comes from century-old vines rooted in deep slate and quartzite soils. Master of Wine Fernando Mora hand-harvests the fruit before undergoing a natural co-fermentation of whole clusters with native yeasts in open oak vats. The wine ages gently in neutral foudres and large subterranean concrete vessels to preserve the unique microclimate and site specificity without heavy oak influence. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, this is a rare, ultra-refined expression of high-altitude Spanish garnacha that prioritizes floral lift and mineral freshness over heavy extraction.

A translucent ruby color leads to perfumed aromas of wild raspberry, sour cherry, crushed violets, and dried Mediterranean herbs. The palate is light-bodied yet intensely concentrated, offering seamless flavors of pomegranate, red currant, orange zest, and ground white pepper. Silky, weightless tannins and a bright beam of natural acidity carry the liquid effortlessly across the tongue. It finishes long, dry, and distinctly mineral, leaving a mouthwatering impression of crushed slate and wild thyme.

Bodegas Frontonio is the Aragón project of Fernando Mora MW and Mario López, based around Alpartir and its surrounding mountain vineyards. Garnacha and Macabeo are central to a range built around old bush vines and the differences between individual sites. The vineyards lie at elevations ranging from roughly 460 to more than 1,000 meters, with a mixture of soils that includes limestone-rich clay and slate. Farming follows organic and biodynamic principles, with vineyard tasks and harvesting carried out by hand.

In the cellar, fermentation vessels include concrete, clay jars and wood, selected according to the wine rather than a single house recipe. Historic seventeenth-century caves provide a setting for slow aging, and gravity helps move the wines gently. The range moves from village expressions such as the Microcósmico bottlings toward more specific vineyards and historic parcels. That progression makes Frontonio a useful introduction to Aragón’s mountain wine culture, showing the freshness and detail that can come from Garnacha and Macabeo when the vineyard remains the focus.

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