Abadía Retuerta Pago Negralada 2019

Pago Negralada is a single-vineyard Tempranillo from Abadia Retuerta at Sardon de Duero in Castilla y Leon, bottled under the estate's own DOP since the 2017 vintage. The winery began in 1996 and from the start classified its vineyards by soil composition and altitude, treating each plot separately through to vinification. Negralada is a chalk and clay site on the Duero, where the high altitude brings a wide diurnal range that builds colour and ripe, firm tannin while keeping acidity. The single varietal is fermented with the plot kept apart, then aged 17 months in French oak, which adds cocoa, vanilla and woodspice while micro-oxygenation through the staves softens the tannin and deepens the colour. The wine is near-opaque purple, with ripe black cherry, plum and blackberry on the nose over cocoa, tobacco and liquorice. The palate is full and structured, with dense but polished tannin and a long, savoury, oak-spiced finish. Serve at 17 degrees, decanted an hour or more ahead, and cellar with confidence. It suits grilled and roast red meats and game.