2019 Alfredo Maestro "El Rey del Glam"

2019 Alfredo Maestro "El Rey del Glam" 

Vintage: 2019

Region: V.T. Castilla y León, Spain
Winery: Alfredo Maestro

Varieties: Garnacha (aka Grenache)

Price: $23.99

My Rating: 94 Points

The Review: This week's wine is a little bit of a splurge, but it doesn't fall too high above my $20 threshold, so I'm gonna allow it. I also just quite frankly think it's good enough to warrant the extra 4 bucks! I picked up Alfredo Maestro's "El Rey del Glam" at the suggestion of a friend and after scouring the Earth in search of it, I finally found it at Ellwood Thompson (in Richmond). I'm hoping that y'all will be able to find it at a specialty store (either wine or grocery), but these sorts of small production wines that overproduce oftentimes get snatched up very very quickly. So to be upfront, there is a non-zero chance that you won't be able to find this. Nevertheless, I hope you'll still keep your eyes peeled for it, and it's made by an awesome producer, so it's pretty cool to learn about.

Alfredo Maestro is a winemaker out of Castellano, who like many winemakers these days, had a revelation and started making environmentally conscious wines. He actively seeks out neglected vineyard plots to work on, and hopes that his wines "better tell the story of the land." Another thing that he focuses on is making wines that are "easy" and interesting- a stark contrast to some of the Spanish wines that are oaked to high heaven and have become one-dimensional as a result.

El Rey del Glam is a refreshingly unique take on Garnacha (known as Grenache outside of Spain). Maestro uses a process called carbonic maceration, in which whole grape clusters are sealed in an oxygen-deprived environment, which causes the grapes to ferment from within the skins. This process produces a super expressive and fruit-forward wine, often with an interesting texture. You may have actually tried a wine made from this process if you've drank a wine from Beaujolais! More depth is added with the usage of native yeasts during fermentation. This allows for even more unique aromas and flavors.

Right off the bat, there are punchy aromas of tart red fruits like cherry, cranberry, and raspberry, just as we expected. There were also lots of Mediterranean secondary notes like dried herbs and brush, as well as a really cool savory tomato note. The taste showed candied sour cherry (candied fruit is a hallmark of carbonic maceration), cranberry, and pomegranate. The wine almost literally unfurled to reveal baking cocoa and coffee grinds, as well as some dried herbs. The star of this show was absolutely the texture and the balance. It was unreal! Layers of depth all unraveled at the perfect time and lasted forever.

I really hope you'll be able to find this one or any of Alfredo Maestro's wines. He's a legend in the natural wine world, and all of his products are phenomenal and super expressive. I'm personally a big fan of his Perdigon Pet Nat as well, which runs for around the same price as El Rey del Glam. So, next time you're in some specialty store with a cool wine selection, see if they have any of Maestro's wines.

drink what you like,

db