Daniel Ramos: Expressive Wines of the Gredos
After discovering the potential of the various terroirs of the Gredos mountains (near Madrid, and home to one of the highest peaks of mainland Spain), Daniel Ramos and his wife Pepi established themselves in the town of El Tiemblo. Daniel Ramos has been making wines there since 2010, and currently owns about 15 hectares of vines in several parcels.
With a respect for authentic winemaking, Daniel Ramos aims, through the Zerberos Finca label, at representing the specific terroirs and altitudes/expositions of each of his vineyards.
For his Kpi wines, Daniel Ramos uses traditional Spanish winemaking techniques - clay amphoras, american oak, or concrete tanks - to make wines of character.
His Garnacha vines range from 50- to 100-year-old and are planted on decomposed granitic sand and/or slate schists, on beautiful steep slopes at around 800-950 meters of altitude with different sun expositions.
Daniel Ramos buys his Albillo Real and Sauvignon Blanc grapes from different old vineyards in the region. The grapes come from 30- to 80- year-old vines on granitic sandy soils.
A proponent of less-is-more, Daniel Ramos practices organic farming, and in the cellar, uses native yeast and slow maceration, with no filtering or fining, and with minimal addition of sulfur at bottling, resulting in wines of expression and character.
The two Zerberos Finca wines that we currently offer show the different terroirs of the Gredos mountain and various personalities of Garnacha. Dair is made with whole-clustered vines planted on schist and aged in old oak for one year. El Altar comes from fully destemmed vines planted on granitic sandy soils and quartz. Two wines with distinct character: one is rustic with spice notes intertwined with floral undertones, while the other is vibrant and fruity with plenty of mineral energy. For the Kpi Rosé, Daniel Ramos uses extended lees contact and american oak to impart complexity and luscious vibes to the wine.
We are proud to maintain a large selection of Gredos wines here at Chambers Street Wines, demonstrating the great diversity of the region. We still have a few bottles of Comando G's powerful Tumba del Rey Moro, Daniel Landi's spectacular El Reventón, and Rubén Díaz's full of sun and energy Cuesta del Tejar. RuBor's (Rubén Díaz and Orly Lumbreras' project) SADE is a fun and interesting orange wine with long skin contact and extended maceration and Rubor's reds are gorgeous Garnacha wines representing the various personalities of the Gredos mountain (Pulgadas and Groove). We are happy to continue to offer Bernabeleva's fresh and vibrant Camino de Navaherreros (a great value) and its beautiful Viña Bonita. And don't forget Ruben Diaz' La Sorpresa Saca No. 6 and La Sorpresa, fantastic wines made using the traditional Spanish solera method, better known for sherry and Madeira.
Enjoy the great variety and wide range of wines of these fabulous producers from the Gredos mountain.
-Caroline Coursant
