Adversity gives garnacha grape its qualities

"If there's no struggle, there's no progress."

--Frederick Douglass

Can you taste "struggle" in a glass?

Yolanda Diaz would argue you can. The managing director of Bodegas San Alejandro said the growing conditions for garnacha in Calatayud, Spain are extremely harsh, but that's what ultimately gives the varietal its grace.

"To see the vines struggle and then to see them transformed into such a beautiful wine -- that is very satisfying," she said.

Diaz is the winemaker behind our wine-of-the-week winner -- the Las Rocas, 2011 Garnacha, Spain at $14.

This bright, crisp red has layered flavors of dark cherry and blackberry. It's full-bodied, well-integrated and lightly toasted. It also has good "bones" or structure-- a rare find at $14.

Red varieties are predominant in Calatayud and account for about 83 percent of the vines, with garnacha the most significant, representing 55 percent.

"The natural conditions here are so unique - the rocky soil, the high elevation, the old vines," Diaz said. "The sunlight is very intense at that altitude, so the grapes develop thicker skins, which creates a greater concentration of fruit in the wine."

The terroir of Calatayud, in short, is what makes Las Rocas Garnacha unique among garnachas, Diaz said.

"Many people are surprised to taste how rich and full-bodied Las Rocas Garnacha is," Diaz said. "Garnacha from other regions tends to be light-bodied, with less concentrated fruit flavors."

Diaz wasn't planning on being a winemaker, and her calling caught her by surprise.

"I was actually meant to work at Bodegas San Alejandro for only three months - between college and the start of my MBA program," Diaz said. "When I got to see everything that happened in the vineyards and in the cellars, it changed my career path forever. As soon as I started working at the winery, I knew this was my calling."

Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com.