The 3Vs are here! The Top Frontonio Wines

Bodegas Frontonio, the exciting project of our Aragonese Master of Wine Fernando Mora continues to grow. The new vintages of his wines show the maturity of a consolidated project.

The winery, recently remodelled, is based in Alpartir, province of Zaragoza (Aragón). It is an underground cellar more than 200 years old with the perfect conditions of temperature and humidity for the ageing of its wines.

IGP Valdejalón, an area with a long winemaking tradition. Valdejalón is strongly influenced by the Iberian system and the Moncayo and also by the altitude of its vineyards, between 450 and 1000m. Other factors to highlight are the low rainfall and the large number of hours of sunshine, around 3,000 per year. This last factor influences the orientation of the vineyards, the winery has a preference for the North faces, in search of freshness and elegance in its wines.

Since Frontonio's first vintage in 2010, its wines have been in continuous evolution, both in quality and quantity and these have been some of the keys:

• The Garnacha as the local autochthonous variety that best adapts to the conditions of the environment.
• The commitment to old vines, understood as the vineyard of more than 40 years old.
• Differentiation by parcels in order to make wines that reflect the terroir to which they belong.
• Harvesting by hand and grape crushing in their top-of-the-range wines.
• Little intervention, seeking excellence in the vineyard and applying only the necessary technology.

What is a 3V? The classification of the wines of Bodegas Frontonio

The winery has devised a system to classify its wines, the classification of the 3 uves (wine, vines and old wines) and this is closely related to that of Burgundy wines and the German VDP system while aiming to break with the clichés of classifying wine based on its ageing.

Below, you can observe the different scales:

• At level 1V, we have the wines that meet the basic conditions of the PGI. The so-called "village wines"
• The 2V, the "Premier Cru" or wine from classified vineyards, requires at least 3 vintages on the market and another series of requirements such as maximum yields of 6,000 Kilos/Ha, minimum vineyard age of 25 years, manual harvesting and 85% Grenache. Ageing and bottling must be carried out in the winery itself and the bottle must bear the name of the village and the vineyard, as well as the quality logo.
• At last and highest quality level we have the 3V, wines from classified old vines or "Grand Cru". To access this level, 5 vintages are required on the market, the minimum age of the vines is 40 years, maximum yields of 4,000 Kilos/Hay a minimum of 95% of Garnacha.

The 3V of Frontonio has finally arrived!

We are very happy to present you the wines of the most premium range of Bodegas Frontonio in its new 2018 vintage. At the beginning of February we had the opportunity to visit the winery and take the pulse of the 3Vs and we can say that they are in excellent shape ???

This range comprises 5 wines:

Wings of Frontonio "La Tejera" Tinto

95 Parker

A red made from Garnacha and Macabeo, all from a plot at 650 metres altitude and slatey soil, from vines planted 80 years ago.

The use of raspón (whole bunches) is commonly used in the winery's winemaking methods to provide structure and tannin, with excellent results. In this case, 50% of the grapes are crushed and the other half is fermented with the whole bunches. It is then aged for 14 months in Botticella (large 1,200-litre oak casks).

This vintage of "Alas" is fresh and gourmand at the same time, with red fruit aromas and spicy notes of white pepper and clove, on a Mediterranean background marked by thyme.

Frontonio "La Cerqueta" Red Wine

94 Parker

Garnacha from a vineyard over 75 years old on blue slate soils. It is aged for 14 months in foudres that give the wine an elegance and precision that perfectly express the winery's style. In the tasting we find aromas of raspberry and scrubland on a smoky background. A delightful wine of which only 3,000 bottles are produced.

Frontonio "La Loma y Los Santos" White

94 Parker

Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo varieties blend together to create this creamy, crisp wine

Tasting it we can appreciate a great complexity obtained by maceration with the skins and ageing for 12 months in demi muids (600-litre barrels from the Rhone Valley). Citrus aromas of lime and spicy aromas of white pepper, with hints of smoke and fresh butter.

Jardin de las Iguales Tinto

96 Parker

The jewel in the crown. Centenary Garnacha vines with a small contribution of Macabeo. 584 bottles of a handmade, foot-trodden wine that will be drunk at the best tables in Spain and the world.

It has a great aromatic palette ranging from red berries to balsamic notes of laurel and oregano, as well as hints of cocoa and clove provided by the barrels used in its production, directly brought from "Les Hospices de Beaune" in French Burgundy.

Jardín de las Iguales White

96 P.Parker: the winery's other iconic wine is this Macabeo from 120 year old vines, planted on steep slopes on slate soils.

This spectacular white presents aromas of Sicilian lemon cream, thyme and clove, with a long and precise palate. An amazing balance achieved with an optimal ripening point and its 12 months ageing in foudres.

This excellent 2018 vintage shows the great evolution of these Grand Cru that are already ready to drink and enjoy, but that also show an enormous ageing potential.

If you are lucky enough to get your hands on a few bottles, you will be able to check their evolution in a few years.........