Canopy

Castillo de Belarfonso

Name: Castillo de Belarfonso
Brand: Canopy
Price: 94.2 CAD
Availability: InStock

$31.40 CAD/btl $94.20 CAD/case $115.05 CAD/case Retail

2 pieces in stock

91 Points Parker

Notes

This young Garnacha is Canopy’s –vino de sed– thirst-quenching wine. Very little ageing, less intervention, and a focus on creating a refreshing and fruity Garnacha. The large barrel ageing process ensures that the wine retains all of its fruit-forward qualities while remaining easy drinking, smooth, and with sufficient complexity.

Medium Burgundy red in colour. On the nose, you’ll notice cherries, blueberries, freshly cut grass, floral notes and fresh mountain herbs. The aroma is very reminiscent of a sunny stroll through the countryside.

On the palate, it’s refreshing, pleasant, and easy drinking. Solid structure, rustic tannins albeit nicely integrated and smooth. This one is really like a mouthful of fruit, truly punchy, with notes of chocolate, black pepper, and liquorice. You’ll want to pour yourself another glass in a hurry.

Facts

Annual Production: 19,500 bottles (The club has access to 1,200 annually)
Type: Tinto (Red)
Body: Light/Medium
Palate: Dry
Finish: Refreshing
Grape Variety: 100% Garnacha
Viticulture / Farming: Organic Farming - Terroir Driven
ABV%: 14.5
Ageing: 6 months in 600-liter French oak barrels
Winemakers: Alfonso Chacón, Belarmino Fernández & Lorena Díaz
Bodega: Canopy
Region: El Real de San Vicente, Sierra de Gredos, Toledo, Castilla-la Mancha
Designation of Origin (DOP): Méntrida
Micro-Climate: Continental - hot and dry summers and cool/mild in the winters
Elevation: 400 meters above sea level
Age of Vines: 50 years old
Soil: Granite & Silica

Tips

Drink now or keep for up to 3 years
No decanting necessary, just uncork 15 minutes before serving
Pairs with Tapas, Manchego or any cheese (cow, goat or sheep), Ibérico ham, Paté or any Spreads, Poultry, Pasta or Pizza, Legumes or Meat, typical Spanish dishes, all Mediterranean and Asian rice-based dishes spiced but not too hot.
Ideal at 14/15 Celsius

Terroir

The Sierra de San Vicente nestled amidst the Tiétar (a tributary of the Tagus) and the Tajo (Tagus) valleys, is located north of the Méntrida Designation of Origin and is under the influence of the Sierra de Gredos. It runs through an altitude of 750 meters above sea level.

This favourable microclimate can be felt at night when temperatures drop and aromas waft through the old Garnacha vineyards which turn them into veritable gardens perfectly suited to a harsh granitic and demanding land.

Winemakers

Canopy is among the top wineries producing organic wines and recuperating ancestral Garnachas located at a high altitude in the beautiful "Sierra de Gredos” not far from Madrid.

Belarmino Fernandez and Alfonso Chacon are the hardworking creators of these wines that, as the famed Michel Bettane said in Shanghai, represent the “renaissance of wines in Spain”.

The vision of these oenologists, interested in what the terroir and the grape represent, has placed their wines at the same level as the best low-intervention French wines, perfectly defined by the term “vin de garage”.

Their wines derive their authenticity straight from the land, by selecting the best vines, caring for them sustainably, clearly identifying each plot with only one or two barrels, and blending them in the bottle to create something out of this world.

Click here to read more about the winery on their website.

Ratings & Reviews

91 Points - Robert Parker (The Wine Advocate) - 2018 and 2019 vintage
Luis Gutiérrez (Robert Parker reviewer for Spain) notes about this wine:
2018 Castillo de Belarfonso is pure Garnacha from two vineyards in the village of El Real de San Vicente that fermented destemmed and matured in used 600-litre oak barrels for six months.
It's pale, elegant and aromatic, subtle and mineral, showcasing the Gredos character, the high altitude and granite soils.
It has a very fine palate, very good freshness, elegant tannins, supple flavours and a long finish.
This is a fantastic introduction to what Garnacha de Gredos is at a very affordable price.

Surprisingly enough, the 2019 Castillo de Belarfonso is darker and feels riper and more powerful than the 2019 Ganadero, which looks more like a wine from El Real de San Vicente than this Castillo de Belarfonso. This has a longer élevage in oak (500- and 600-liter barrels), and it's meatier (hints of smoky bacon), riper and more powerful, with even more, if still fine-grained, tannins. This is a powerful vintage of Castillo, but it's not as focused and streamlined as previous years.