Bodegas Frontonio Las Alas de Frontonio Parcela La Tejera 2023

Bodegas Frontonio Las Alas de Frontonio Parcela La Tejera 2023

Bodegas Frontonio
$90.00

Grape: Garnacha
Vintage: 2023
Type: Red

Sourced from "La Tejera," a single high-altitude parcel in Valdejalón, this cuvée comes from old, dry-farmed garnacha vines planted in iron-rich clay and slate soils. Master of Wine Fernando Mora hand-harvests the fruit to ensure precise maturity before fermenting naturally with native yeasts, utilizing a significant proportion of whole clusters in open-top fermenters. Aging takes place in a combination of neutral French oak foudres and subterranean concrete tanks to refine the tannins while preserving the raw hillside aromatics. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, this is a chiseled, mineral-driven garnacha that highlights the tension and fresh balance of Spain's high-elevation vineyards.

A vibrant, translucent ruby hue gives way to complex aromas of wild strawberry, tart cherry, crushed violets, and damp slate. The palate is focused and energetic, delivering precise flavors of cranberry, blood orange zest, cracked white pepper, and wild thyme. Ultra-fine tannins and a bright, persistent beam of natural acidity give the mid-palate a weightless, silky structure. The finish is long, dry, and distinctly savory, concluding with lingering notes of crushed stone and dried herbs.

Winery

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.