Pegaso Zeta Cebreros Garnacha

Based in Sierra de Gredos, Pegaso was born from a collaboration between Rioja native Telmo Rodríguez, his long-time business partner Pablo Eguzkiza and two-time world rally champion Carlos Sainz Sr. They named the winery in tribute to Pegaso, a famous 1940s Spanish car manufacturer prized by collectors with an eye for sleek, classic design.

Sierra de Gredos is a range of mountains west of Madrid, spanning the provinces of Toledo, Madrid and Avila. The regions rugged landscape, with granite-laced soils, has been home to numerous winemaking families for generations and boasts a wealth of old vine Garnacha. Telmo and Pablo were gripped by the potential of these vineyards when they first saw them while travelling across Spain in search of forgotten regions. Telmo explains that “this extraordinary vineyard was growing wild, without winemaker, oenologist or engineer: it was an orphan.”

In 1999, they purchased their first vineyard, Arrebatacapas, in the village of Cebreros (known for its rare ‘pizarra red slate soils) with Carlos Sainz Sr, who lived locally and shared their passion for Sierra de Gredos winemaking potential. Incidentally, Carlos explains that Arrebatacapas was once part of the Madrid rally route he famously raced along, “but then, I didn't pay attention to the vines. I was more concerned about winning”. Together the trio restored Carlos 19th century property in 2005 to house the Pegaso winery.

All the Pegaso vineyards are organically farmed, each specifically chosen to reflect a different characteristic of the Sierra de Gredos terrain. The wines are made with minimal intervention to preserve the purest expression of site.

Garnacha,

The fruit for `Zeta` is sourced from a blend of organically-farmed estate grapes and locally-purchased fruit from growers. The over 60-year-old, bush-trained Garnacha vines from the El Robledillo, El Mojón and Presidente estates in Cerberos village are grown between 750-900 metres above sea level. The slate and granite soils are layered over a magmatic rock base, which is the main soil type of the appellation. This shallow, coarse-textured and well-draining soil lends depth and fruit character to the resulting wines.

The hand-harvested grapes were destemmed and crushed, before fermentation with indigenous yeasts in large, used, open-top 5000L foudres was carried out. The wine was then aged six months in 500L oak barrels of various origins and ages, followed by a further six months in stainless steel tanks. It was then gently fined and bottled, unfiltered, in August 2022.

Bright ruby in colour, this wine is floral and expressive on the nose. Primary aromas of red fruits blend with complex nuances of minerality and spice. The palate has a good weight sensation, mainly given by the intense and deep fruit flavours, whereas the finish is fresh, juicy and clear, yet persistent.

Nolan - Text from the Spotlight on Spanish Garnacha

Our final Garnacha of this spotlight is from an old region that is finally getting its time to shine. This is the region of Cebreros in Central Spain, just to the West of Madrid itself. Part of the wider Sierra De Gredos region, this is one of the hubs of the New Wave of Spanish winemaking.

Pegaso is a collaboration between Rioja native Telmo Rodríguez, his long-time business partner Pablo Eguzkiza and two-time world rally champion Carlos Sainz Sr. They named the winery in tribute to Pegaso, a famous 1940s Spanish car manufacturer prized by collectors with an eye for sleek, classic design.

Pagaso’s “Zeta” is produced from 60+ year old Garnacha vines planted at 750-900m above sea level. Slate and granite soils are layered over a magmatic rock base, which is the main soil type of the appellation. This shallow, coarse-textured and well-draining soil lends depth and fruit character to the resulting wines. Grown as bush vines, hand-harvesting is a necessity and fermentation is carried out using native, natural yeasts in large oak foudres. Aging is again to provide a subtle influence, with only six months spent in mainly older casks, with the wine then being transferred to stainless steel tanks for a further six months.

The final wine here is very much on the savoury end of Garnacha’s flavour spectrum. The wine is herbal but also has some overt olive tapenade notes to it. The tannins are more astringent than in most other Spanish Garnacha’s I have come across. This olive note and elevated tannin make this wine pork’s best friend, tannin melds perfectly with fat & protein, roll some porchetta and enjoy this! It is 15% too so you will certainly have fun!