Bodegas Gil Berzal 2021 Glorya

100% Garnacha from a special plot of bush-vines within the Valcavada vineyard. Planted in 1995, this gentle, west-facing slope sits at 600 meters and is comprised of a darker soil, mostly clay and limestone. The wine sees 15 months in 500L used French oak before bottling. Glorya is a tribute to Saul and Benjamin's mother, who co-founded the bodega alongside their father. 2021 was cool overall for Rioja Alavesa, with hail and a frost-ridden Spring providing some challenges, though a good balance of sunny days and cool nights throughout the summer ultimately resulted in a particularly strong, well balanced vintage. I've heard that Glorya herself came up with a fantastic note for this wine: raspberry taffy. Though that does justice to the high-toned, extra bright fruit character, I thought our distributor hit the nail on the head when he described the nose as "like walking through a garden." The bouquet of dried herbs, rose petal, crushed raspberry, cherry, and a touch of lipstick just keeps going. Though they may be biased, Saul and Benjamin are certainly fair in their assessment that this is a Grand Cru bottling.