Pegaso Granito

Winemaker: Telmo Rodríguez

Appellation: Ávila, Spain

Grape Varieties: Garnacha

Cebreros is both the name of the village and the appellation of origin in the southeast of the province of Ávila, within the greater Sierra de Gredos region, the mountainous area located on the continental divide of Spain. The region is unspoiled, wild, rustic, full of energy and light, and as authentic as it gets. It is a transitional zone where northern Spain gives way to southern Spain. The wines from the Sierra de Gredos mountains to the west of Madrid (aka Vinos de Madrid) have finally begun to claim their rightful place alongside other top wine regions focused on producing world-class garnacha. For many insiders, the region is now leading the conversation about this Mediterranean garnacha grape, now understood to be indigenous to Spain. 

Telmo Rodríguez discovered Cebreros while traversing the Cañadas Reales (ancient sheep herding trails which criss-cross throughout Spain) with his father in 1999. Enchanted by the old vines and incredible natural beauty of the terrain, Telmo made his first wine there that year with Pablo Eguzkiza. He used the name Pegaso, a tribute to the famous Spanish car and truck manufacturer of the 1940s, which is dear to collectors with an eye for design and style. 

As the straightforward name implies, Granito is a limited production wine from old garnacha vineyards planted on granitic soils in Cebreros. Granitic wines tend to be accessible, with silky fruit and a delicate structure. Granito is a blend of over 60-year-old garnacha from the El Robledillo and El Mojón vineyards at 890m to 920m. Granito displays explosive aromatics and a complex structure. The farming at Pegaso is organic, and the wines are made with low intervention and minimal sulfur at bottling. Granito is gorgeously aromatic with incredible complexity and finesse, improving with time spent in bottle.

Vinification – Whole clusters are picked by hand in small boxes, with a strict selection made in the vineyard. The clusters are de-stemmed, crushed, and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks and large neutral French oak foudres. The wine is then aged for 18 months in new and used 600L French oak barrels sourced from different forests.

Within the Sierra de Gredos umbrella, significant village names are often listed, such as Cebreros (unique for having red slate), Navarrevisca, Navatalgordo, Cadalso de los Vidrios, and San Martín de Valdeiglesias.

The wines from the Sierra de Gredos mountains to the west of Madrid (aka Vinos de Madrid) have finally begun to claim their rightful place alongside other top wine regions focussed on producing world-class garnacha. For many insiders, the region is now considered to be leading the conversation concerning the potential of this Mediterranean grape, now understood to be indigenous to Spain.