Rumbo al Norte, Comando G 2019

The 2019 Rumbo al Norte is the palest vintage ever for this wine, and in fact, this year it's a lot paler than Umbrías (it looks like Umbrías!). It's a warm but exceptional vintage for this unique plot, and the wine is ethereal, perfumed, nuanced and elegant with developed aromas à la Rayas but with a more herbal twist and more freshness. This is clearly the highlight of this warm and dry year, a triumph over the natural conditions to produce very ripe wines. The regularity of this wine shows why this is their greatest vineyard. It has a velvety texture with the finest grained tannins from all the wines I tasted from the Comando G team; it's the most elegant and this year also the most ethereal. It was more and more perfumed as it sat in the glass. Mindboggling. Bravo! Only 932 bottles and 12 magnums were filled in June 2021.

The Gredos origin is clear, due to the altitudinal, rocky feel and a dab of fecal brettanomyces that detracts. This is a decent, mid-weighted wine that is drinkable and of some interest. Without the brett, it would be very good and possibly, great. There is an inveterate brettanomyces note creeping into this producer’s wines over the last few vintages. Lots of whole-bunch, dill and dried-herb nuances. Drink or hold. Alkina Grenache Assembly tasting. Drink: 2021-2031