Comando G is key to understanding the current success of Garnachas from Gredos, a region which spans three valleys (Alto Alberche, Alberche and Tiétar), three provinces (Ávila, Madrid, Toledo), three autonomous regions (Castilla y León, Madrid y Castilla-La Mancha) and three appellations (Cebreros, Vinos de Madrid and Méntrida).
Dani Landi and Fernando García, the two men behind Comando G, have been instrumental in the rebirth of Gredos. Their commitment to the area is unequivocal: “We want to know how far we can go with the variety and the terroir,” they say after recovering some very high and hard to reach vineyards.
Fermentations are carried out with stems, extractions are soft to “intervene as little as possible” and ageing is done with lees in large wooden vats, foudres or concrete tanks. The approach is clearly Burgundian and their range evolves from regional and village cuvées to premier and grand cru wines.
The name Comando G goes back to the winemakers' childhood and refers to a well-known cartoon series in which five teenagers defend planet Earth from outside threats. The letter G, from Gredos, Garnacha and granite, was a perfect fit and their debut came in 2009 with La Bruja Avería (a cult children's TV programme from the 1980s).
The 2022 vintage represents a major reshaping of the range, with changes in some wines to complete their particular Burgundian pyramid, and the release of new wines as they become increasingly focused on Cebreros (Ávila, Castilla y León), the only of the three DOs whose vineyards are entirely located in Gredos. Cebreros has also established a classification that includes village, lieux-dit and single-vineyard wines.
The exception beyond Cebreros are Comando G's vineyards in Las Rozas de Puerto Real in the Tiétar Valley in Madrid, which have undergone major changes in the 2022 vintage. The village wine La Bruja de Las Rozas has been renamed La Bruja (55.000 bottles, around €26 in Spain) and is now a regional label, whereas Las Rozas 1er Cru has become Rozas and is a village wine (about 10,000 bottles, €48). The duo are about to release a new premier cru called Mingogil. Las Umbrías (€175), Comando G's first single-vineyard Garnacha, continues as the grand cru in the Tiétar Valley. Grapes are sourced from a half-hectare vineyard planted in 1951 at the top of Monte de los Corzos at 995 metres elevation. The soil is mainly granite with some red clay. The area is particularly humid resulting in a crisp, fresh, herbal style.
Comando G's operations in DO Cebreros are concentrated in three villages and two valleys: El Tiemblo, in Las Iruelas valley; Villanueva de Ávila and Navatalgordo, in the Alto Alberche valley.
The single vineyard Las Iruelas is the only Garnacha in the range that comes from slate soils. Until the 2019 vintage, the wine was part of a project developed separately by Dani Landi, but was integrated into Comando G's portfolio in the 2020 vintage.
As for Landi's other wines, El Reventón, also from slate soils, was made for the last time in the 2022 vintage, and the vineyards he tended in El Real de San Vicente (Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, DO Méntrida) to produce classic labels like Las Uvas de la Ira or Cantos del Diablo are now part of a joint project with Curro Bareño (Fedellos de Couto in Galicia) under the name of Vitícola Mentridana.
Returning to Las Iruelas (€195), this is the only wine produced by Comando G in El Tiemblo. The vineyard, planted in 1963 at 1,010 metres elevation, covers barely one hectare. The wine has evolved in recent vintages in line with the soil research carried out by Chilean specialist Pedro Parra. The three areas that have been identified are harvested separately to assess if they can be eventually included in the final blend in each new vintage.
The pair have a stronger presence in Villanueva de Ávila, which has become their centre of operations, and where they have completed all the stages of their Burgundy-inspired pyramid, starting with the new Villanueva red (€48, less than 3,000 bottles), a village wine first launched in the 2022 vintage. It is a blend of grapes grown at an average elevation of 1,000 metres from their own vineyards and from suppliers. The area's premier cru is La Breña (around €100), from a site near Rumbo al Norte at 1,050 metres elevation, which has been consistently produced since 2018. The oldest vines were planted in 1962. The single vineyards from Villanueva de Ávila are Comando G’s top Garnachas: Tumba del Rey Moro and Rumbo al Norte, both retailing above €300 in Spain.
Tumba del Rey Moro is a steep half-hectare plot planted in 1960 with vines interspersed with oak, chestnut and fig trees. The elevation (1,100 metres) and the fact that it is shaded produce a style of Garnacha with slightly herbaceous tannins and remarkable length.
Rumbo al Norte is the legendary vineyard where vines coexist with huge granite boulders -this must be ‘the picture’ of Gredos in the minds of wine lovers the world over. Planted in 1950, this north-facing plot standing at 1,075 metres elevation is only 0.3 hectares. This is an extreme location where most vineyards have virtually disappeared. The vines grow so close together that in some parts not even a horse can get in to farm the land; yields barely reach 1,500 kg/ha and the grapes are almost always harvested in October. This is a sharp wine reflecting the purity of granitic soils, yet aerial and full of aromatic nuances.
Navatalgordo, also in Ávila (DO Cebreros), offers a distinctive presence of quartz in the soils and lower pHs in the wines. Here too Comando G produces a village wine (€47) from vineyards at an average elevation of 1,000 metres, a premier cru set to be released in the 2022 vintage under the name Peñadelamora, and the two grand crus El Tamboril, made in white and red versions. At 1,200 metres elevation, El Tamboril is the highest of Fernando and Dani’s vineyards. The red wine tends to have firm tannins.
