6 bottles La Atalaya del Camino + 6 glasses Wine bottles and glasses

La Atalaya del Camino comes from the D.O. Almansa in Castilla La Mancha, a warm region in southeast Spain that long sold its wine in bulk before the denomination was founded in 1966. This case of six bottles, supplied with six glasses, holds a blend of Monastrell and Garnacha, the leading dark grape of the area. Almansa sits on a high, dry plateau with hot summers and limestone soils, conditions that ripen Monastrell and Garnacha fully and give a deep, full bodied red of high natural alcohol, here 15.5 per cent. The fruit is fermented and then matured in oak barrels, which soften the tannin and add spice and a little vanilla through slow oxygen exchange. The colour is dense and dark. The nose shows ripe blackberry, dark plum and black pepper with a warm, balsamic edge, while the palate is full and rounded, with ripe tannin, generous dark fruit and a long, spiced finish. Serve at 17 degrees and decant younger bottles. It suits grilled red meat and stews, and makes an easy gift for a keen wine drinker.