Garmón, Ribera del Duero

If anyone out there has experienced an “epiphany wine” from Vega Sicilia between the vintages of 1968-1998, you probably have Mariano García to thank. For 30 years, the wines from this cult estate were under his masterful direction—which means there can be no debate, only universal agreement, that Mariano is Ribera del Duero’s greatest living legend. The cuvées from Vega, now priced between $100-$600+, are easily among the most recognized, idolized, and profound reds of the world. So what did the greatest winemaker in Ribera/Spain do in his post-Vega Sicilia years? He launched his own label(s). Today, Mariano and his sons are dominating the contemporary Spanish scene with blue-chip, best-in-class estates like Aalto, Mauro, and Gármon, the latter of which has the world completely abuzz. Master of Wine Tim Atkin has already placed Gármon alongside Vega Sicilia in his own “First Growth” classification, and if you tap the shoulder of any critic, I’d wager it’ll be one of the first estates