Abadía Retuerta Petit Verdot 2018

Abadía Retuerta Petit Verdot comes from the estate at Sardón de Duero near Valladolid, just outside the Ribera del Duero boundary, which is why it is bottled under its own DOP Abadía Retuerta. The winery began in 1996 and classifies its vineyards by soil and altitude so each parcel can be farmed and vinified to suit its site. The vines sit between 700 and 850 metres on the Duero plateau, where a continental climate and a wide day-to-night temperature swing let a late-ripening, thick-skinned variety like Petit Verdot reach full ripeness while keeping acidity. That thick skin gives deep colour and firm tannin. The wine is aged seventeen months in French and American oak, which settles the tannins and adds spice and toast through slow oxidation. It is deep, near-opaque purple. The nose shows black plum and dark berries with black pepper, dark chocolate, violet and liquorice. The palate is full and structured, the tannins firm and abundant, with good acidity and a long, dark, spiced finish. This is a bold, age-worthy red. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant well ahead. Suited to roast and grilled red meats and mature hard cheeses.