Nekeas Cepa por Cepa Garnacha

For some strange reason the wines of Navarre seem to have been ostracised. Many of us still remember the great rosé wines from Navarre but we seem to have forgotten that this northern area is at the forefront of embracing international grape varieties. Let's not forget, either, that native varieties, such as the Grenache, also perform to their best in these soils. In fact, there are many examples of high-quality wines based on the Grenache variety which, together with their risible prices, makes it hard to explain why Navarrese wines have been ignored.

Some years ago, the team at the Nekeas winery discovered a treasure — the small plots of land with old Grenache vines hidden amongst forests of Kermes oak trees. These old vines produce very few grapes — but, small and intense, they capture all the essence of this variety. Nekeas chose the strongest plants, those best-adapted to extreme conditions, and reproduced them by selecting the best shoots, vine by vine (hence the name of the wine, Cepa por Cepa, which means vine by vine). In this way they preserved a priceless genetic heritage.

The regrafted vines produced their first harvest in 2008 and since then their grapes have continued gaining in complexity and structure. They were originally combined with Tempranillo grapes but over the years they have shown clearly that they can work alone. The Cepa por Cepa wine is a classic Grenache wine with all the virtues that have catapulted this grape variety to fame. It is a fresh, juicy wine dominated by aromas of wild strawberries and spices such as black pepper. It is delicate yet intense on the palate, both accessible and seductive. Its tannins seem to be virtually non-existent, but they give the wine its structure. The short time this wine is kept in barrels simply brings out the fruit without affecting the flowery aromas and more spontaneous hints of fruit. Do you want to know what a good Grenache wine tastes like? If so, you must open a bottle of Cepa por Cepa for its pure Grenache essence.