Bodega Cauzón, "Mozuelo" 2020

Producer Profile: In the South of Spain, where temperatures are meant to be high and the air is meant to be dry and aridness is meant to reign supreme, Ramon Saavedra defies the odds. Working less than eight hectares in Cortes y Graena - a municipality within the Granada DOP (Andalusia, southern Spain) - Ramon enjoys an extreme diurnal shift in the vineyard. Located on the northern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, with vineyard elevations from 1080-1200m, the days are hot and the nights are cold. This achieves a slower ripening and an absolutely singular & pure expression of this place. Tending vines of Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Cabernet, Merlot, Garnacha, Syrah, Macabeu, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Garnacha Tintorrera on primarily red alluvial soil, Ramon plants throughout his hectares rather than sprays. Bitter vetch is grown alongside native garrigue and leaf clover to achieve ideal, natural protections against erosion, fungus, and grape-sunburn. It is a beautiful and humble project, within reach of fearsome mountains and the Mediterranean. Unfined, unfiltered, rich yet backboned by zippy acid structure, these are wines to savor, which is to say, to love.

Vinification: Mostly Garnacha with a bit of Garnacha Tintorera. Grapes are hand-harvested and fermented in stainless steel with wild yeasts. After a few days, the wine is pressed and left in tank to age. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, with no SO2. 

Tasting: A medium-bodied red destined to be served alongside burgers at a rooftop BBQ. At turns both fruit-forward, smoky, spicy, and bursting with acidity, this is best served with a slight chill alongside anything you can toss on a grill.