Grapes of Spain

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
94	Wine Review Online	This is the first release of this wine, which is a new project launched by the Garcia family (led by Mariano, Eduardo and Alberto), which sits atop the winemaking hierarchy in Spain with only the Palacios family within sight. A plan to build a dedicated winery for the project is in the works, but for now, there's no doubting that this is an ultra-serious wine, as demonstrated by its very dense pigmentation, expressive aromatics, concentrated body, intense oak signature and very persistent finish. Although another five years of cellaring will be required for this to fully unfold, it already shows excellent purity of fruit (Ribera del Duero's particular strength with Tempranillo) even under a lot of assertive wood notes, and shows lots of little nuances after sufficient airing. Indeed, the wine was notably more complex rather than fading when re-tasted the day after opening, which is invariably a sign of excellent and as close to a guarantee of age-worthiness as one can find. Certainly this can be enjoyed today with robust foods like grilled lamb, but this was built to bloom fully in 5-10 years. Stay tuned...this will likely develop from an excellent to a great wine in years to come, and will also likely to be the first in a string of superb wines under this label.
93	Wine Enthusiast	This dark, concentrated number is new from the García family, known for the wines of San Román and Mauro. Like most reds from this clan, this is loaded with blackberry and toasty oak aromas. A massive, raw palate shows abrasive tannins. Oak-forward flavors of blackberry, cassis and coconut finish woody and powerful. Drink from 2018–2028. Cellar Selection September 1, 2017
92	View from the Cellar	The 2014 vintage of Garmón is listed at the same 14.5 percent as the 2015 version, but it seems just a tad riper in its aromatic profile than its younger sibling. The bouquet is deep and blossoming nicely, offering up scents of black cherries, black plums, Cuban cigar wrapper, a nice touch of soil, woodsmoke and a very well done framing of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, ripe and very well-balanced, with a good core of fruit, fine focus and grip, wellintegrated, chewy tannins and a long, focused and promising finish. This is a fine wine in the making, but it needs some cellaring time to blossom properly. 2024-2055+. Issue #75 – May/June 2018
92	Vinous Media	(aged for 16 months in French oak barrels, 50 percent of them new) Inky ruby. Vibrant, assertively perfumed aromas of blackberry, cherry liqueur, cola and incense, plus a smoky nuance and a suggestion of vanilla. Sappy, seamless and penetrating on the palate, offering bitter cherry, dark berry liqueur and spicecake flavors complemented by licorice pastille and mocha flourishes. Turns sweeter and livelier with air and finishes floral and extremely long; silky smooth tannins frame the intense fruit. 2019-2025
92	Wine Spectator	Loamy earth and black olive notes frame a core of black plum and currant in this solid red. The muscular tannins are well-integrated, giving way to minerally and toasty hints on the finish. A savory style, with good depth. Tempranillo. Drink now through 2029. 2,750 cases made. March 22, 2017
92	The Wine Advocate	The first wine ever produced here is the 2014 Garmón, pure Tempranillo from a diversity of villages all in the province of Burgos, La Aguilera, Moradillo or Baños-Tubilla. All grapes were destemmed and the wine aged in 50/50 new and used French barriques for 16 months. It's quite smoky (smoked bacon) with plenty of spices, generously oaked in general. The sweet spices are combined with sweet fruit, a sensation perceived mainly in the palate. I'd say it's quite typical of the Mariano García style, keeping the Tempranillo character of the grapes in the cooler zone of the appellation, perfumed and with some oak tannins to be resolved by some more time in bottle. This was produced in the Aalto winery, while they build their own space in the village of Olivares de Duero. 36,800 bottles and 500 magnums were filled in June 2016. 2018 - 2024 One of the most anticipated projects in Ribera del Duero is the one from the García family of Mauro fame. Of course, Mariano is a partner in Aalto, so he has produced a few wines from Ribera del Duero before, not to mention his 30 years at Vega Sicilia from 1968 to 1998... So Garmón is the contraction of the surnames of Mariano's sons, Alberto and Eduardo, García Montaña. The project is in Olivares de Duero across the river from Quintanilla de Onésimo in the province of Valladolid. The idea is to produce some 50,000 to 60,000 bottles from vineyards in the villages of La Aguilera, Moradillo and Baños-Tubilla. They produced their first wines in 2014, when they fermented some 38,000 kilos of grapes.
90	Decanter Magazine	Elegantly cedary on the nose, this is an archetypal Ribera showing red and black berry fruits, menthol and liquorice complexity. It is still youthful and muscular, with a creaminess to the texture and a bold finish. Drink 2017-2021 January 2017
90	Wine & Spirits Magazine	Black in its fruit intensity, this dark Ribera lasts on its ripe flavors, accompanied by powerful tannins and tense acidity. It’s a big wine, ready for steak, with enough tannic strength and acidity to go for ten years in the bottle. June 2018

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Garmon 2015

97 (Proensa) 95 (WE) 94 (W&S) 94 (VM) 94 (VeV) 92+ (VfC) 92 (Decanter) 92 (RP)

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
97	Guia Proensa	With a lot of character, very fine on the nose and energetic in the mouth. Fine, subtle, stylish, with a fresh fruity character, floral, mineral and ink notes. Structured, balanced, medium-high body, firm tannins, fresh acidity, tasty, with amplitude.
95	Wine Enthusiast	Bold aromas of flowers, ripe berries and cassis carry the exotic nose. This bottling from the renowned García family is intense, tight and structured like a brick house. Boysenberry, blackberry and chocolaty oak are the most notable flavors, while this oozes coffee, toast and peppery spice on a hard-driving but focused finish. Drink from 2020–2038. Editors’ Choice - November 2018
94	Wine & Spirits Magazine	Mariano García, former winemaker at Vega-Sicilia, founded Garmón with his two sons, Eduardo and Alberto, working with vines between 30 and 100 years old in the heights of Olivares del Duero. This is their second vintage, a wine with youthful intensity, combining ripe red fruit and spice in a delicious blend. The texture is firm, the acidity persistent, the wine acquiring earthy notes that increase its charm as it opens in the glass. June 2018
94	Vinous Media	Inky ruby. Powerful, mineral-accented blackberry and cherry cola aromas are complemented by suggestions of incense, vanilla and pungent flowers. Supple, sweet and impressively concentrated, offering lush black and blue fruit, spicecake, mocha and violet pastille flavors braced by a spine of juicy acidity. Plush yet surprisingly lively in character, with a suave floral note and velvety tannins on an impressively long, sweet finish. 2023 – 2033 Josh Raynolds - February 2021
94	Vivir el Vino	Included in their list of 365 best wines of the year 2018.
92+	View from the Cellar	Garmón is the new project from Mariano Garcia and his family, who used to man the helm at Vega Sicilia and is now responsible for such Ribera del Duero icons as Mauro. The 2015 Garmón is 14.5 percent octane, crafted entirely from tempranillo and aged for sixteen months in French casks prior to bottling. The 2015 offers up a fine nose of red plums, cherries, a bit of cocoa powder, good soil tones and plenty of smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full bodied and ripely tannic, with a good core of fruit, a nice bass line of soil tones and fine length and grip on the nascently complex and focused finish. I find this less extracted than Mauro and therefore, to my palate, even better. This is good juice that needs some cellaring to allow its complexity to start to emerge. 2025-2055. Issue #75 – May/June 2018
92	Decanter Magazine	A relatively new wine from Mariano Garcia (of Aalto, formerly Vega Sicilia) and his sons; the brand comes from a merger of their surnames. Made from 30 - to 80 year-old Tempranillo, from a blend of vineyards. Very fine fruit expression with a rasp of tannin. Controlled and not at all overextracted. Sarah Jane Evans MW March 2018
92	The Wine Advocate	The second vintage of the only wine produced here, the 2015 Garmón is from a dry and warm vintage. It fermented by plot with a pied de cuve in stainless steel vats, where the wine also underwent malolactic fermentation. The élevage was in 225- and 500-liter French oak barrels and lasted some 16 months. There was a little more new oak in 2015, and the year delivered riper wines; they tried to compensate with more grapes from cooler zones within Ribera del Duero. It has some grainy tannins and a round, wide palate. It's a more powerful vintage. 45,936 bottles and 1,768 magnums were filled in June 2017. Forty percent of the volume is exported. Issue 238 - August 2018

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Garmon 2016

97 (Proensa) 97 (G. Gourmets) 96 (TA) 93 CS (WE) 93 (RP) 93 (VM) 92 (VfC) 92 (WS) 92 (JS) 91 (WB)

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
97	Guia Proensa	Great Ribera profile, with noble strength and a lot of finesse. [The wine is} in its first phase but already suggestive: brightly fruity, floral, ink, quality wood [oak], balsamic. Body medium-high, balanced, well-constituted, sensations of solidity and freshness. Guia Proensa 2018
97	Guia de Vinos Gourmets	Vibrant purple/black color with a violet rim. Deep and fragrant nose, aromas of wild berries, peach, floral, chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon, tea, Chinese ink, graphite, wet earth, cigar box, sandalwood, incense ... Powerful, fleshy, structured, ripe and velvety tannin with a long finish. Persistent, very fruity retronasal aromas. Exciting. Guia Gourmets 2019 (Spain)
96	Tim Atkin MW	Mariano García’s brilliant project gets its fruit from four different villages with altitudes up to 1,000 metres. This scented, deeply coloured cuvée is floral, fresh and poised, with gratifying freshness and potential. 2022-35 Ribera del Duero Top 100, November 2018
93 CS	Wine Enthusiast	A richly oaked nose is grainy and outright woody, with smoky blackberry notes and a hint of raisin filling in the cracks. A rough, drawing palate is tannic like nails, while this tastes of chocolaty black fruits. Intensity is a continuing theme maintained on a chocolaty finish that's dry and pounding in texture; drink from 2021–2035. Cellar Selection - August 2019
93	The Wine Advocate	Cropped from a cooler year, the 2016 Garmón is fresher, cooler and juicier, with elegant and polished tannins. The process is similar every year, and the differences are mostly due to vintage variations, but in this vintage, they used a higher percentage of used barriques for the élevage (50/50 new and used). 2016 is fresher, more elegant and a little lighter. It has a medium to full body and some grainy tannins. Give it a little more time before you pull the cork. 50,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2018. Issue 238 - August 2018
93	Vinous Media	Bright, youthful purple. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes an array of red and blue fruit, floral and exotic spice qualities, and vanilla and roasted coffee notes emerge as the wine opens up. Sappy, concentrated and seamless in texture, offering sweet boysenberry and cherry flavors and a touch of smokiness. Shows excellent clarity and a repeating vanilla note on the clinging finish, which is given shape by supple, harmonious tannins. 2023 – 2032 Josh Raynolds - February 2021
92	View from the Cellar	The 2016 Garmón Tinto is composed entirely from Tempranillo, with the vineyard age ranging from a robust thirty years-old all the way up to one hundred year-old vines! The wine is aged for sixteen months in French oak barrels prior to bottling, with the 2016 vintage tipping the scales at 14.5 percent octane. It delivers a beautiful, youthful bouquet of black cherries, plums, cocoa powder, cigar wrapper and a nice base of smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a plush core, fine balance and grip, suave tannins and just a bit of backend heat poking out on the long and classy finish. This is really good, with a sense of restraint that is not easy to present at 14.5 percent octane. I would love to see it a touch lower in alcohol, but this is very well-made wine. 2026-2055. Issue #86 - March/April 2020
92	Wine Spectator	A polished texture carries focused flavors of black cherry, licorice, tar and mineral in this solid red. Sleek and crisp, this shows good definition. Drink now through 2028. 4,215 cases made, 350 cases imported. — TM June 30, 2019 Issue
92	JamesSuckling.com	Blackberries and blueberries with some vanilla and chocolate character. Medium body. Firm and silky with resolved tannins. Attractive to drink now. July 24, 2019
91	Washington Wine Blog	Really good in its youth, the 2016 ‘Garmon’ delivers rich dark currants that are woven together with exotic spices, mocha and black licorice on the palate. Layered, with light tannins and great acidity, enjoy this over the next decade. Drink 2020-2028. Dr. Owen J. Bargreen, CS - July 2020

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Garmon 2017

96 (TA) 94 (WE) 94 (WE) 93 (VM) 93 (RP)

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
96	Tim Atkin MW	Very much a blend of villages, Mariano García's remarkable wine uses fruit from four different areas, with altitudes of up to 1,000 metres. Subtle, floral and energetic, with finely judged oak, judiciously worked tannins, savoury, dark berry fruit, plenty of colour and considerable ageing potential. Firmly established as one of Ribera's best cuvées. 2023-30 Ribera del Duero Top 100, November 2019
94	Wine Enthusiast	Blackberry and cassis aromas are accompanied by savory notes and leathery warmth. Going in a different direction, the palate is crisp, tight and dry, with strapping muscularity. Black plum, wild berry, earthy spice, lemony oak and chocolaty support combine to create a superb flavor profile, while this is focused and firm on the finish. Drink through 2028. Michael Schachner - Issue June/July 2021 Cellar Selection
94	Wine Enthusiast	This deep ruby-colored wine has aromas of black cherry, toffee and black-olive paste. An underlying sense of earthiness enhances flavors of cassis, blackberry, crème caramel and aniseed, while luxurious tannins glide towards a long finish. Mike DeSimone – April 2022
93	Vinous Media	Opaque ruby. Mineral- and spice-accented aromas of ripe red and dark berries, lavender and exotic spices on the deeply perfumed nose. Weighty and broad on the palate, offering juicy blackberry and bitter cherry flavors that show fine clarity and building sweetness. Turns spicier on the persistent finish, which features slowly mounting tannins and lingering mineral and floral notes. 2023 – 2032 Josh Raynolds - February 2021
93	The Wine Advocate	The 2017 Garmón was the first vintage fermented in their own winery, and the wine went through malolactic and an élevage of 18 months in barrique, but they increased the percentage of used barrels. The fruit is very clean and a mixture of red and black, and the tannins are soft, a bit grainy, with integrated oak. Like many of the 2017s from the family, the wine shows really well; they did a good job in a very challenging year. 50,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2019. They used more grapes from Moradillo and other villages where frost didn't reach. The result is that the 2017s keep the balance and poise and were even able to keep the volume. December 2019

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Garmon 2018

97 (WE) 94 (VM) 94 (RP) 93+ (VfC) 93 (OB)

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
97	Wine Enthusiast	Deep-redviolet in the glass, this wine has a nose of dark plum, cassis and forest floor. Robust tannins settle into the mouth backing flavors of dark berries, mocha, herbes de Provence and aniseed. There is a beautiful tension on the palate between tannins and refreshing acidity. Drink through 2043. Cellar Selection - M.D. - Best of the Year 2022
94	Vinous Media	Deep, brilliant violet. Expansive cherry, blueberry, potpourri and exotic spice qualities on the intensely perfumed nose; vanilla and woodsmoke nuances add complexity. Deep, sweet and focused on the palate, offering powerful red and dark berry compote, lavender pastille and licorice flavors and a suave floral overtone. A spicy nuance gains strength on the long, energetic and youthfully tannic finish, which leaves smoke and mineral notes behind. 2025 – 2035 Josh Raynolds - February 2021
94	The Wine Advocate	The only wine they produce here, the 2018 Garmón is pure Tempranillo from different villages with a continental climate, old organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards that are not certified. It fermented by village with indigenous yeasts and matured in 225-liter French oak barrels for 20 months. This reflects the cooler character of the year, and they maybe used a little more used oak (50/50). The wine is fresher, has a lot more acidity and is aromatic and open, with a better balance without losing structure. This is the finest wine they have produced so far, and they told me this is the kind of wine they wanted to make in Ribera del Duero, the Mauro style with finesse and elegance. It brought me to the character of the wines from yesteryear, rustic but with elegance, full of character and with energy and aging potential. 50,120 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2020. 2021- 2030 Luis Gutiérrez – Issue 255 June 2021
93+	View from the Cellar	The flagship bottling from Bodegas Garmón includes plenty of old vines in the mix here, as the vines range from thirty to fully one hundred years of age! The vines sit at nine hundred meters of elevation, are farmed organically and the wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for twenty months in French oak barrels. The wine comes in at 14.5 percent alcohol and is deep, pure and very classy on the nose, wafting from the glass in a mix of plums, black cherries, raw cocoa, a touch of fresh nutmeg, lovely soil tones, violets and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and plush at the core, with fine soil signature, ripe, buried tannins, impressive focus and grip and a long, well-balanced and nascently complex finish that closes with just a bit of heat. This is a serious bottle of Ribera del Duero, but it will need a solid decade to start to soften up and drink with generosity. Fine juice. 2032-2080. John Gilman – March/April 2022
93	OwenBargreen.com	Very dark once in the glass, the 2018 Garmon Ribera del Duero offers very soft tannins on the attack. Loamy soils combine with black olive, marionberry and chocolate pie undertones. Complex and delicious, this maintains beautiful poise in this warm vintage. Drink 2022-2035. Owen Bargreen - July 20, 2022

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Garmon 2019

93 (RP) 92 (OB) 91+ (VfC)

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Score	Publication	Review	Copy
93	The Wine Advocate	The profile of the 2019 Garmón is quite classical Ribera del Duero, with good ripeness, Tempranillo typicity and generous oak, delivering wines of high regularity and a recognizable profile for the public. It has smoky notes of bacon and spices, black fruit, good ripeness, 14.5% alcohol and a juicy and creamy mouthfeel with ripe tannins and an oaky finish. It matured in 225-liter French oak barrels for 20 months. 49,504 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2021 Drink 2024-2029. 93 Luis Gutierrez – The Wine Advocate Issue# January 2023
92	OwenBargreen.com	This beautiful 2019 Ribera del Duero offers dusty soils on the nose alongside wild blackberry and shades of toasty oak. The palate is nicely concentrated, with good freshness and a beautiful core of red and dark fruits. With more air citrus zest and chocolate flavors help mold this beautiful new wine that has at least another decade of life to go. Drink 2023-2033- Owen Bargreen - October, 2023
91+	View from the Cellar	The 2019 Garmón Tinto is a big boy, coming in listed at 14.5 percent octane and offering up a deep and promising bouquet of cassis, black cherries, cigar ash, dark chocolate, a bit of tobacco leaf and cedary new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, plush and shows off excellent mid-palate depth, with ripe, firm tannins, good focus and grip and a long, balanced and still quite youthful finish. This is made from tempranillo vines that range from thirty to more than one hundred years of age. The wine is still very primary, but carries its ripeness very nicely and will be a fine bottle once it is ready to drink. 2033-2075+. John Gilman - Issue #103 January/February 2023.

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Garmon 2020

95 (VM) 94 (WS) 93+ (VfC) 93+ (RP)

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Score	Publication	Review	Copy
95	Vinous Media	The 2020 Garmon is a 100% Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero, aged for 20 months in primarily French oak barrels. Purple with a garnet sheen. The fruit-forward nose offers dried plum, blackcurrant and aniseed-like herbs intertwined with oak layers. Dry and plush from the oak, the wine's chalky texture grows more pronounced as it goes on, foregrounding a restrained but juicy, polished, lingering finish. The 2020 is a balanced, modern expression of Ribera del Duero. Joaquín Hidalgo, November 2023
94	Wine Spectator	A graceful, deftly integrated red, this opens with a beautiful range of dried rose petal, black tea leaf, ground cardamom and fresh earth aromas -- a fragrant skein that winds through dried raspberry and black plum reduction flavors. Fresh and focused on the palate, with fine-grained tannins creating a firm frame for the swath of generous flavors. Bright and well-spiced on the persistent finish. Drink now through 2034. Alison Napjus
93+	View from the Cellar	The Garmón bottling from Bodegas Garmón is made entirely from Tempranillo, with a great many old vines utilized for this cuvée, with the oldest being more than a century in age! The vineyards lie at nine hundred meters elevation, are planted on limestone and sandy clay soils, farmed organically and the wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for twenty months in French oak barrels. The 2020 Garmón again comes in at 14.5 percent octane (the same as the 2019 vintage) and delivers a lovely aromatic constellation of black cherries, sweet dark berries, cigar wrapper, brown spices, a complex base of soil tones and a judicious framing of smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, nascently complex and full-bodied, with a lovely core of fruit, good soil signature, lovely balance and grip, firm, buried tannins and a long, focused and very promising finish. This is going to be an excellent glass of wine once it has had some hibernation time to soften up its backend tannins. 2035-2075. John Gilman; Issue 109, January – February 2024
93+	The Wine Advocate	Tasted along with the 2019, the 2020 Garmón is from a cooler year with more rain that resulted in fresher wines, a little lighter. This is still dominated by black ripe fruit, hints of licorice and earth and a creamy and smoky/spicy touch from the 20 months in 225-liter barriques. It's medium to full-bodied with abundant, slightly dusty tannins and more earthiness in the finish. 50,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2022. 93+ Luis Gutierrez – The Wine Advocate Issue# January 2023

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Garmon 2021

94 (VM)

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Score	Publication	Review	Copy
94	Vinous Media	The 2021 Garmón is primarily Tempranillo with a 5% dash of Cabernet Sauvignon from Ribera del Duero, aged for 20 months in French oak barrels. A dark garnet-red in hue. The nose presents notes of cherry, plum and hints of violet, along with black tea and subtle ashy undertones. Dry and relatively rich, the juicy, chalky palate leads to a long-lasting, flavorful finish. This is a Ribera del Duero wine that drew inspiration from Bordeaux. Joaquín Hidalgo, November 2023

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