The 2010 Pielago comes from biodynamic vineyards planted on granitic soils around the village of El Real de San Vicente. The fruit trodden by foot. The nose is well defined and clean, but sullen, with earthy, mulberry, wood resin-like aromas. The palate has a rather tough carapace, rendering it foursquare, a hypothetical “Medocian Grenache.” The finish is a little attenuated and needs to lighten up. This wine is too earnest for its own good, but maybe that will come out with bottle age? Drink 2014-2018. If you are seeking Grenache that is understated, complex, full of character and honest without resorting to new oak or ostentation, then look no further than the exquisite and rather brilliant wines of Bodegas Jimenez-Landi, which have rightly been lauded by my predecessors in previous issues. I stand accused of being even more ecstatic about these wines that were riveting earlier this year: wines that stimulate the intellect as much as the senses. Importer: Eric Solomon Selections, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565; and Indigo Wine www.indigowine.com in the UK.