Every once in a while we taste a wine that stops us dead in our tracks and forces us to rethink our assumptions about a certain grape or region. A few weeks ago, sitting in the back of the shop with Spanish wine expert/importer/cheerleader Ariana Rolich, I had my brain absolutely melted by the wines of Las Pedreras.

The wines were from Las Pedreras, a new project based in the Sierra de Gredos—a high elevation, alpine region just outside of Madrid.  Sierra de Gredos has been getting attention over the last few years for elegant, high-toned expressions of Garnacha but nothing has struck me as profoundly as these wines. Imagine the elegance and refinement of Château Rayas, with the ebullient energy of Beaujolais, but with a uniquely fresh, mountain air-cooled core–and you’d be close.

Las Pedreras is the brainchild of  Bárbara Requejo Frutos, a young winemaker from Ribera del Duero with some heavy hitters on her resume (Chateau Haut-Brion and Champagne Pierre Peters for example) and her husband Guzmán Sánchez de la Parra (chef owner of the ambitious restaurant LA QUERENCIA.  Working together on Guzmán’s family parcels of Garnacha growing on decomposed granitic sand in and around the idyllic alpine village Villanueva de Avila, Barbara and Guzmán have already in their first vintage captured a lineup of wines that we just can’t stop drinking.

This is chapter one in the story of a couple that has, for us at least, redefined what Garnacha can do!

- Dan Weber, Head Buyer

LAS PEDRERAS 2021 ARQUITÓN ROSÉ

From two parcels of 70-year-old, head-trained Garnacha planted on granitic sandy soils at 900m altitude. Harvested in early September, destemmed, pressed directly, fermented in barrel with native yeasts, then aged for 6 months in used 500L and 225L french barrels. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 2100 bottles produced. 

LAS PEDRERAS 2020 BURBUJAS DE ARQUITÓN ROSÉ PET NAT

The rosé pet nat is 100% Garnacha from two small 70-year-old, organically-farmed vineyards planted on granitic sandy soils at 900-950 meters altitude in the neighboring village of Navatalgordo. The grapes were harvested in early September, destemmed, pressed directly, fermented with native yeasts, then bottled before fermentation completed in order to spur bubbles in the ancestral method. 250 bottles produced. 

LAS PEDRERAS 2020 LOS ARROYUELOS GARNACHA

Los Arroyuelos is the old name of the neighborhood where the Las Pedreras winery is located, an homage to the history of VIllanueva. The wine is 100% Garnacha from seven organically-farmed, 70-year-old vineyards, planted between 900 and 1170 meters altitude on granitic sandy soils in the villages of Villanueva, Navatalgordo, and Burgohondo. Each parcel is fermented separately with native yeasts, then pressed and aged for seven months in used french barrels of various sizes. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 2600 bottles produced. 

LAS PEDRERAS 2020 LAS ÁNIMAS GARNACHA

Las Ánimas is a singular expression of Garnacha from 3 tiny 80-year-old northeast-facing parcels planted at 1070 meters altitude on granitic sandy soils in the paraje (lieu-dit) of Las Herguiejuelas in Villanueva de Ávila. Following native yeast fermentations with 15% stems and 45 days of maceration, the free-run juice (no pressed wine was included in Las Ánimas) was combined for 7 months of aging in a single used 500L barrel.  600 bottles produced.