2024 Care Tinto Sobre Lias Garnacha Syrah Spain 750 ml

It’s hard to think of a country with more vinous values than Spain. But even in that bastion of top-quality accessible wines, Bodegas Care’s rich, crowd-pleasing Sobre Lias is a head-turner.

Sobre Lias is a full-bodied red from Cariñena—“Spain’s hottest region,” according to Wine Enthusiast—whose bold, generous texture is crowd-pleasing and easy to love. We were smitten from the first sip of blend of 75% Garnacha and 25% Syrah.

With intense aromas of ripe blackberries, dark plums, Malabar pepper, and lilacs, it reminds us of wines from the Rhône. But the palate delivers a bit more Spanish sunshine, with a rich mouthfeel and gentle tannins framing bold, dark fruit flavors accented by a touch of thyme and mocha. It’s dangerously delicious, and one glass easily turns into two, whether on its own or with chicken roasted with Moroccan spices or a hanger steak with a quick pan sauce.

Cariñena is the birthplace of Garnacha, known in France as Grenache, and Bodegas Care has vines that date back to 1915. Those old, gnarled plants form the backbone of this blend, with roots that reach deep into the limestone-heavy soils in search of water, bringing back character and complexity. Syrah gets blended in for fruit, richness, and power—leading to a wine that offers a thrilling balance between rich fruit, hints of dried herbs and spices, and a velvety mouthfeel.

In the winery, Bodegas Care exercises levels of care and technique that we usually see in wines triple the price, to create a richly textured bottling with pure fruit and elegance. They handle the grapes gently, fermenting in truncated-cone stainless fermenters for gentle extraction, before pressing in basket-style presses to avoid hard tannins and ensure the wine has a velvety mouthfeel. 

We don’t think it will be long before the wines of Cariñena, and Bodegas Care specifically, become significantly better known around the world. Until then, we’re thrilled to share this discovery with you.