Abadía Retuerta Selección Especial 2021

Abadía Retuerta sits just outside Ribera del Duero in Castilla y León, working under its own DOP on the slopes above the Duero. Selección Especial is a selection wine, drawing on the finest parcels of each vintage and built around Tempranillo, complemented by Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Petit Verdot. The estate sits at altitude on varied limestone and clay soils, and the continental climate gives warm days and cool nights that keep the fruit ripe but defined. Each variety is vinified separately before blending, so the components are chosen for balance rather than volume. The wine ages 12 months in French and American oak barrels, where the slow exchange of oxygen rounds the tannin and layers in cocoa, vanilla and sweet spice. The colour is deep and saturated. The nose shows ripe black plum and dark berry fruit, with a spicy, cedary undertone and a thread of tobacco. The palate is full and structured, the tannin firm and fine, carried by good acidity to a long savoury finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted ahead. It works with roast beef, grilled lamb and hard nutty cheeses.