Granite Project

While we never set out to create the Granite Project when Eric Solomon teamed up with Dani Landi and Fernando Garcia to make Granito del Cadalso, additional collaborations with talented winemakers followed suit – a País in partnership with Marcelo Retamal and a Beaujolais-Villages with Marine Descombe and Kevin Jandard. Granitic terroirs are uncommon despite being one of the earth’s most ancient and prevalent building blocks. Having its origins deep underground as magma that slowly cooled and crystallized under pressure, it is composed of large crystals of quartz, feldspar, and silica. As granite weathers when exposed to water, it breaks down into sandy clay soil rich in mineral nutrients perfectly suited for cultivating vines.

Scattered worldwide are regions and subzones where granitic soils result in distinctive wines with a combination of weightless density and a soaring floral minerality. Most notable are the epic wines of the Northern Rhône, the joyous wines from parts of Beaujolais, and, more recently, the thrilling wines from the Sierra de Gredos in Spain. We never set out to create the Granite Project rather it only occurred after we noticed a common expressive thread that these wines shared regardless of location or variety.

The Granite Project first took root when we met Dani Landi nearly two decades ago. At that time, he was making wines at his family’s estate in Méntrida but what really caught our attention were his personal cuvées made from small parcels of Garnacha in the Sierra de Gredos. This was Garnaacha like we never tasted before. Deceptively pale at first glance and wildly floral and captivating, then an intensity of pure fruit brought into focus by a mind-boggling interplay of mineral acidity and ethereal tannins. Dani would eventually partner with Fernando Garcia in establishing Comando G the fame of which would largely be based on high-elevation vineyards planted on variations of granitic soils. In 2015 Dani & Fer partnered with a local cooperative with a shared goal of preserving the Garnacha vineyards surrounding Cadalso de los Vidrios from development while also improving the quality of the cooperative’s offerings. Tasting their early efforts, Eric Solomon created a blend with Dani & Fer that would become Granito del Cadalso. What we thought would be enough volume to last until the next release quickly sold out.