I thought they had stopped producing the Garnacha Congo, which they had not produced since 2015. This time, they showed me a 2021 Congo produced with the selected bunches (usually from the north-facing slopes) from a plot they call Presidente in the village of El Real de San Vicente, which is in Gredos but on the Métrida side. The wine fermented with 100% full clusters and had a very soft extraction to obtain a delicate and floral wine. It has a deeper color and a sensation of high ripeness; it's more powerful than the majority of their Garnacha bottlings. It has abundant tannins and a full-bodied palate. It matured in 500- and 600-liter oak barrels for 18 months. 2,350 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2022.

Although I previously tasted this during my visit to the region some 16 months ago, I once again the 2015 Congo, which is made with selection of grapes from the village of El Real de San Vicente. It fermented with stems after a 10-day maceration. It matured in 500- and 600-liter oak barrels until it was bottled in January 2017. This is a wine they have only produced twice so far, in 2009 and 2015, and when they don't bottle it separately, it goes into the blend of Tres Patas. They select the best two bunches from each plant (always from the same vineyard), so it's very labor intensive. This shows the high ripeness of a very warm year (one of the warmest) with notes of candied fruit and an earthy and somewhat rustic nose. It has a full body, with juicy fruit and abundant, fine tannins. This is evolving quite slowly in bottle. 2,450 bottles produced.

The oddly named 2009 Congo is a pure Garnacha from the Alberche Valley – a selection of the best bunches from a 0.8-hectare parcel of vines raised for 18 months in French oak. The stem addition lends this an intriguing, well-defined, character-driven bouquet with raspberry leaf, cranberry and a touch of undergrowth. The palate is fresh on the entry with crisp raspberry and red currant fruit. It is very well-balanced with a clean, linear, enticing bouquet that is sophisticated and very appealing. Superb. Drink now-2018. Now here is a challenger to Jimenez-Landi’s crown but, hey, it is great to see two Mentrida growers giving the region such a good name. It was formed in 2004 by Alfonso Chacon y Belarmino Fernandez when they began acquiring parcels of Garnacha on unique terroirs. Their wines come highly recommended: natural, full of character and charm, Mentrida wines you want to contemplate and savor. Importer: Vino et Spiritus, Des Plaines, IL; tel. (847) 668-8891