2021 Cien Y Pico Doble Pasta Garnacha Tintorera | Outstanding Value Spanish

Outstanding Value | Ancient-Vine Spanish Garnacha Tintorera for Just $34

100% Garnacha Tintorera from Manchuela – One of Spain's Most Fascinating Red Grapes

Ancient Bush Vines | Tiny Yields | High-Altitude Vineyards | Seriously Delicious

Manchuela, Spain

100% Garnacha Tintorera – also known as Alicante Bouschet

13.5% Alcohol

RRP $34

If you want to discover something completely different from the usual Spanish reds, this is an absolute cracker.

2021 CIEN Y PICO DOBLE PASTA GARNACHA TINTORERA

Forget Rioja.

Forget Tempranillo.

This comes from Manchuela, high on the plateau of Castilla-La Mancha, and is made entirely from one of Spain's most fascinating varieties:

GARNACHA TINTORERA.

Also known as Alicante Bouschet, this is one of the rare red grape varieties where not only the skins are dark—

THE FLESH ITSELF IS RED.

The result is incredible colour and intensity.

But don't think this is some enormous, alcoholic monster.

It's just:

13.5% ALCOHOL.

Dark fruit.

Violets.

Spice.

Liquorice.

Chocolate.

Fresh acidity.

Beautiful tannins.

And at:

RRP $34

this is seriously outstanding value.

Tasting Notes

The colour immediately tells you something interesting is going on.

Deep, vibrant purple.

Then comes an explosion of dark fruit and perfume.

Expect:

• Black cherry
• Blackberry
• Blueberry
• Dark plum
• Raspberry
• Violets
• Liquorice
• Sweet spice
• Cocoa and dark chocolate
• Savoury herbs

There's plenty of concentration through the palate, with ripe blackberry, plum and cherry wrapped around a beautifully rich texture.

But the key is the freshness.

A bright line of acidity cuts through the dark fruit, preventing the wine from ever becoming heavy or clumsy.

The tannins are firm but beautifully polished.

Then comes that long finish of dark berries, chocolate, spice and savoury complexity.

Dark. Concentrated. Savoury. Fresh.

Bloody delicious.

What the Hell Is “Doble Pasta”?

Here's where the story gets really interesting.

DOBLE PASTA

refers to an old winemaking technique.

The concept is beautifully simple.

Instead of simply fermenting the juice with its normal amount of grape skins, crushed grapes are fermented with additional skins.

More skins.

More colour.

More flavour.

More tannin.

More concentration.

Hence:

DOBLE PASTA – “DOUBLE PASTE.”

Historically, deeply coloured wines like this could be used to add colour and structure to lighter wines.

But Cien Y Pico takes the idea and turns it into something much more interesting.

A serious standalone wine from ancient Garnacha Tintorera vines.

What Is Garnacha Tintorera?

Despite the name, Garnacha Tintorera isn't regular Garnacha/Grenache.

Internationally it's better known as:

ALICANTE BOUSCHET.

And it's a fascinating grape.

Most red wine grapes have dark skins but relatively clear flesh.

Crush one and the juice initially isn't particularly dark.

Garnacha Tintorera is different.

It's a:

TEINTURIER VARIETY.

The flesh itself contains red pigment.

That means it can naturally produce wines of extraordinary depth and colour.

Think:

Blackberry.

Blueberry.

Black plum.

Cherry.

Violet.

Liquorice.

Spice.

Dark chocolate.

And plenty of colour.

But when handled properly, you can retain freshness and balance alongside all that intensity.

That's exactly what happens here.

Ancient Vines in Manchuela

This is where the wine becomes even more compelling.

Cien Y Pico was created after its founders discovered extraordinary old vineyards in Manchuela that were disappearing.

Ancient vines were literally being ripped out.

They decided those vineyards were worth saving.

The name:

CIEN Y PICO

roughly translates as:

“ONE HUNDRED AND SOMETHING.”

A reference to the extraordinary age of some of the vineyards involved in the project.

The old Garnacha Tintorera vines grow as free-standing bush vines on the high plateau of Castilla-La Mancha.

This is harsh country.

Low rainfall.

Hot summers.

Cold winters.

Poor soils.

Tiny yields.

The soils are a mixture of limestone-rich red sandy clay formed from ancient Miocene sediments.

And these old vines have adapted to survive.

Deep roots search for water.

Yields are tiny.

The resulting fruit can have incredible concentration.

This is old-vine viticulture in the true sense of the word.

High Altitude Changes Everything

Manchuela can be hot.

But altitude plays a crucial role.

The vineyards sit high above sea level, surrounded by mountains and exposed to significant differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures.

Warm days help ripen Garnacha Tintorera.

Cooler nights help preserve:

Acidity.

Aromatics.

Freshness.

Balance.

That's one reason the wine can have so much dark-fruit concentration while sitting at only:

13.5% ALCOHOL.

And 2021 was particularly interesting.

It was a cooler growing season, which helped deliver wines with excellent freshness, balanced acidity and more moderate alcohol.

About Cien Y Pico

Cien Y Pico began with four winemakers who discovered old Garnacha Tintorera vineyards in Manchuela and were stunned to see these ancient vines being removed.

Instead of watching them disappear, they decided to do something about it.

The project became about protecting and celebrating:

Ancient vineyards.

Old bush vines.

Indigenous varieties.

Low yields.

High-altitude terroir.

And ultimately:

Wines with genuine personality.

That's what makes Cien Y Pico so interesting.

These aren't generic international-style wines.

They're wines that taste like where they come from.

Doble Pasta vs Viña La Ceja

If you've tried the brilliant Cien Y Pico Viña La Ceja, this makes a fascinating comparison.

Viña La Ceja combines:

Bobal + Garnacha Tintorera.

Doble Pasta goes all-in:

100% GARNACHA TINTORERA.

La Ceja shows how beautifully Garnacha Tintorera works alongside Bobal.

Doble Pasta lets you see the variety completely on its own.

And because of the Doble Pasta technique, you get an even deeper exploration of its colour, texture and intensity.

Buy one of each.

Put them side-by-side.

For under $70, that's one hell of an introduction to the fascinating wines of Manchuela.

Food Pairings

This wine wants food.

Try it with:

• Chargrilled steak
• Slow-cooked beef
• Beef ragù
• Lamb shoulder
• Spanish chorizo
• BBQ sausages
• Chargrilled red peppers
• Chickpeas with smoked paprika
• Manchego
• Aged hard cheeses

Actually, keep it simple.

BBQ sausages. Chargrilled peppers. Bottle of Doble Pasta.

Perfect.

Cellaring

The 2021 is drinking beautifully now.

The combination of ripe fruit, polished tannin and fresh acidity means there's absolutely no need to wait.

Drink now through 2029+.

Serve it slightly cooler than you might expect.

Around:

16–18°C

will keep the dark fruit vibrant and allow the violet, spice and savoury characters to really shine.

Why We Love It

Because this is exactly the sort of wine we love finding at Liquid Vibe.

It's different.

It's delicious.

It has a great story.

And it's incredibly affordable.

Look at what you're getting:

2021 Vintage

100% Garnacha Tintorera

Ancient Bush Vines

Manchuela, Spain

High-Altitude Vineyards

Traditional Doble Pasta Winemaking

13.5% Alcohol

And then:

RRP $34

That's outstanding.

This isn't another generic Spanish red.

It's a wine that introduces you to a grape variety, a region and an old winemaking tradition that most Australian wine drinkers have probably never experienced.

2021 CIEN Y PICO DOBLE PASTA

Garnacha Tintorera

Manchuela, Spain

RRP $34

Ancient vines. Fascinating variety. Traditional technique. Extraordinary value.

👉 If you love discovering seriously interesting wines that don't cost a fortune, grab a few bottles of this. At $34, Cien Y Pico Doble Pasta is one hell of a Spanish discovery.