Nekeas “El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa” Garnacha Navarra '20

Bodegas Nekeas became one of the first wineries to revive the wine making traditions of the Valdizarbe valley, which lies southwest of Pamploma and is one of the five zones of Navarra DO. The winery produces a range of high quality, affordable wines from indigenous grapes and international varieties, from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay to old, gnarled vines of Garnacha and Tempranillo. “El Chapparal de Vega Sindoa,” Nekeas’s top wine, is one of Spain’s most unique Garnachas. Nekeas works with fruit from its oldest single Garnacha vineyard to produce an Atlantic expression of Garnacha, distinct from the warmer climate expressions found elsewhere in Spain. Nekeas uses sustainable techniques to care for its vineyards, all of which are dry-farmed. 

“El Chaparral” is made from a selection of 40 separate plots of old clones of indigenous Garnacha planted between 70 and 115 years ago. The primary soil type is clay, but there are some sites that have a significant proportion of sand, which has allowed them to remain phylloxera resistant. These vineyards are planted at 600 meters above sea level in the northernmost zones of Navarra, with a cool, Atlantic climate. This climate impacts the Garnacha significantly, which is a grape that takes a considerable amount of time to ripen phenolically. The result is one of the latest harvests in Spain, that normally goes well into November. To make “El Chaparral,” the bunches are destemmed, then fermented in stainless steel and aged in a combination of new and used French oak barrels for six months.