Viña Zorzal, Graciano - 2023

I always love seeing what a variety derided as “a blending grape” can do on its own, in the right hands. Like Petit Verdot in Bordeaux, or Canaiolo and Mammolo in Tuscany, Graciano is widely planted in Rioja but Tempranillo is always the star. We’re taught that these grapes “add” something useful or desirable to the blend but that doesn’t necessarily mean these varieties are one-dimensional. This Graciano from Zorzal shows off herbal and lavender notes, a robust mid-palate of elderberry and blood orange, and trailing note of balsamic and licorice and riding on the fine tannins. It shows promise that, perhaps like Mourvedre, Malbec, and Carmenere, Graciano will rise to greater esteem through plantings outside the famous regions where it’s overshadowed. There are over 200 acres of it planted in California – mostly by mistake! – and in Ariz