2019 Abadia Retuerta Pago Garduña

Abadia Retuerta Pago Garduna

The Abadia Retuerta Pago la Garduna comes from a single vineyard and is produced exclusively with Syrah grapes. Pago la Garduna is sourced from chalky soils sheltered by pine trees on a vineyard at an altitude of 810 meters. Yields are consistently low, around 20 hectoliters per hectare. The wine is aged for 18 months in new French oak.

The Garduna is a Pago wine, meaning it comes from a registered, unique estate. The wine has a deep, intense, dark color. The nose is very fine, elegant, and delicate, with notes of raspberry, cherry, thyme, lavender, balsamic vinegar, tobacco, and red currant blended with Mediterranean herbs such as thyme and lavender, along with raspberry, tobacco, and beautiful, slightly bitter tannins. The wine is medium to full-bodied with good balance and acidity that adds freshness. The Garduna is a complex, robust wine in a very limited edition with a lovely, long finish. It is ready to drink but will continue to develop in the coming years. This is one of four Pago wines from Abadia Retuerta (Negralada, Petit Verdot, Valdebellon, and Garduna), of which only a few thousand bottles are ever produced (due to the small and unique vineyards).

"Pago" status is essentially the Grand Cru of Spanish wines, and the highest status a winery can achieve in Spain. A wine can be considered a Pago wine if it can be guaranteed that the grapes originate from a geographical area with recognizable soil characteristics. In other words, certain areas have a special microclimate that, combined with the soil composition, produces a grape that, despite being a well-known varietal, is incomparable in flavor to its peers. Only a handful of wines in Spain hold this ultimate status.

Abadia Retuerta Winery

Abadía Retuerta Le Domaine, the winery's full name, is a wine estate located at the gates of the Ribeira del Duero. The estate not only produces exclusive wines but is also an architectural gem in its own right, a former 12th-century abbey with a luxurious 5-star hotel and a Michelin-starred restaurant. This historic abbey is owned by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis and was restored in 2008 under the direction of Italian architect Marco Serra. It is located in Sardón de Duero, right on the western border of the Ribeira del Duero. Several of the vineyards are therefore located outside this area. Furthermore, Abadía Retuerta is experimenting with grape varieties such as Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, which are not permitted in the Ribeira del Duero. The wines are currently marketed under the basic appellation Vino de la Tierra Castilla y León. However, an application for its own appellation has been submitted. The estate focuses primarily on producing high-end red wines, but has recently also released a white wine. This wine is a unique, yet highly successful, blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Verdejo, Godello, Riesling, and Gewürztraminer.

Le Domaine, as this white wine is called, has enjoyed subtle oak aging and also rested for six months on the lees. The result is a slightly aromatic wine that is exceptionally smooth on the palate, accompanied by a lovely freshness and corresponding length. Abadía Retuerta also produces five red wines, including one blend and four single-vineyard red varietals: Seleccion Especial (Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah), Pago Negralada (Tempranillo), Pago Garduna (Syrah), Pago Valdebellón (Cabernet Sauvignon), and PV (Petit Verdot).

The fact that we're talking about a top-notch winery is also evident from the simple fact that Pascal Delbeck of Château Ausone has been appointed as a member of the management team, consulting with Abadia Retuerta. Another prominent figure who advises on a daily basis is Angel Anocibar Beloqui, the first Spanish doctor of oenology from the University of Bordeaux, and named Best Winemaker by the IWC in 2005. Another very noteworthy fact is that Abadia Retuerta has a superb hotel and restaurant on the estate. The restaurant recently even received a Michelin star. Read more under the heading "Winery."