This wine is pale yellow in colour with green reflections. On the nose, there are fruity aromas of peach and citrus. The freshness and minerality on the mid-palate is superb, ably supported by a remarkable acidity, which frames the juicy fruit on the crisp finish.

Bodega Garzón is a family owned winery in Maldonado on the Atlantic coast in southern Uruguay. They pioneered viticulture in this area over 10 years ago, and have since become the standard-bearer for premium wines from Uruguay. In November 2018, their pioneering status was recognised by Wine Enthusiast with the ‘New World Winery of the Year’ award. The vineyards at Bodega Garzón are a patchwork quilt of 1,150 individual plots of around 0.2 hectares in size, each plot carefully chosen for a specific variety according to its soil and microclimate. The winery is specially designed to operate as sustainably as possible, and is the first winery outside North America to pursue LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Built on natural terraces, the winery uses cutting-edge technology and operates using a gravity system to ensure quality and energy efficiency at every stage of production.

Located 11 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, the estate has more than 1,000 small vineyard blocks covering hillside slopes, which benefit from varying microclimates, different levels of humidity and an intense canopy management. Well-draining granitic soils and cooling Atlantic breezes allow the grapes to ripen steadily. The vineyards are surrounded by lush forests, palm trees, rocky soils and granite boulders.

The 2021 vintage in Maldonado was notable for its changeable weather conditions. Low temperatures over winter promoted even budding throughout the vineyard, while dry conditions in spring necessitated the use of drip irrigation to support proper foliage development. Flowering and fruit set occurred in optimal conditions, with a good number of large, properly formed clusters. Early summer brought great diurnal ranges in temperature at the time of véraison, resulting in grapes with intense aromatics and excellent natural acidity. Rainfall was persistent and frequent towards the end of February and beginning of March, but the natural drainage of the soils and careful canopy management ensured there were no issues with rot and the grapes harvested were of excellent quality.

The hand-harvested grapes were pressed before being fermented in stainless-steel tanks for two weeks. The wine then spent a further three to six months on lees in stainless steel before being bottled in May 2021.