Vitícola Mentridana is a new Grenache project out of the Sierra de Gredos, west of Madrid. It's a region made famous in recent times by Comando G, who for a number of years now, have been an absolute favourite producer of ours. In fact, Vitícola Mentridana is strongly linked to Comando G, and for fans of these wines, the full story behind Dani and Fer's connection to Mentridana is explained in detail below. But for those of you simply looking for the next great drink, here is the breakdown: I visited Vitícola Mentridana in July last year, shortly before the wines were shipped to Australia for the first time. They're fantastic and follow a similar hierarchy to those of Comando G, but this time exploring the Mentrida D.O. Expect pure, red-fruited flavours, very pretty aromatics (especially with this release, out of the cool 2021 vintage) and very fine textures. They come to us at a time when Australian Grenache is at an absolute high-point, so for the Grenache lovers amongst you, i encourage you to explore this new producer and compare and contrast to some homegrown favourites such as Aphelion, Willunga 100 and Alkina. – Ches Cook, FWC.
The following are now available. Click through for notes on each product:
Viticola Mentridana 'El Mentridano' Garnacha 2021
Viticola Mentridana 'Las Uvas de la Ira' Garnacha 2021
Viticola Mentridana 'Cantos del Diablo' Garnacha 2020
The full story here:
Dani Landi’s decision to close the winery known as 'Daniel Landi Viticultor' was a big one, especially considering the huge following and plaudits he'd gained. He wanted to travel lighter, concentrate more on Comando G to some degree but really to remove the complex web of vineyards, ownership structures and historical arrangements that were once necessary to get projects off the ground with shoestring budgets but were now weighing things down, creating baggage.
Vitícola Mentridana was born as way to rationalise Dani's various projects in the Sierra de Gredos and reconnect to his history in Mentrida. This solution works on many levels. Firstly, and most simply, it creates a clear geographical divide between the Comando G project and the new Vitícola Mentridana. Previously with Daniel Landi Viticultor there was no way in which to draw lines on the map around the Comando G and Landi vineyards without the lines constantly crossing over. The Sierra de Gredos is comprised of two major valleys surrounded by mountains; Valle de Alberche and the Valle de Tietar. The Alberche winds from west to east with the biggest mountains of the Gredos on its southern border. The Valle de Tietar flows out of the other side of those very mountains then runs south-west towards La Mancha. The Vitícola Mentridana project works only with vineyards on the mountains that form the southern border of the Valle de Tietar, a part of the Sierra de Gredos which overlaps with the official D.O. of Mentrida. Whereas Comando G now bottle all of the vineyards from the mountains that divide the Alberche and Tietar valleys, some of which had perviously worn the Daniel Landi label.
The changes also mean clearer lines in terms of winemaking and direction. In the past we'd often refer to 'Comando' in shorthand meaning both Daniel Landi wines and the Comando G wines, and we'd regularly describe Daniel Landi's project as 'just like Comando, same people, same place, same winery, just different labels depending on who owns which vineyard.' This was true as everything was made collectively between Daniel and Fernando Garcia in the Comando G winery in Cadalso but with the new division Vitícola Mentridana takes on its own space close to San Vicente in the Valle de Tietar. Thus freeing the Comando G project up to move to its new, under construction winery in the Valle de Alberche, right next to Tumba del Rey Moro, without having to worry about trucking grapes from the other valley over long, winding mountain passes. The personnel has changed as well, with Fernando Garcia solely working on Comando G and Daniel's oldest friend; Curro Bareño of Fedellos do Couto fame becoming part owner and winemaker of the new project.
It's the addition of Curro to the team that really brings Vitícola Mentridana full circle. Dani and Curro grew up together in the village of El Real de San Vicente; both came from families with vines in the area, both spent their formative years exploring the Gredos wilderness. They even still play music in the same amateur rock/metal band, once again a continuation of their formative years. In a sense it's the final separation between Dani's projects, where Comando G reaches further and further north into the mountains while Vitícola Mentridana reflects the land and history of Dani and Curro's past. – Lachlan Barber, importer.
