Alonso del Yerro Maria 2021

Alonso del Yerro María is a Tempranillo red from Viñedos Alonso del Yerro in Roa, Burgos, within D.O. Ribera del Duero, made by Javier Alonso and María del Yerro with the Bordeaux oenologist Stéphane Derenoncourt. The estate holds 22 hectares of plots on the Santa Marta farm. Ribera del Duero lies on a high plateau on the northern meseta, where a continental climate and altitude bring hot days and cold nights. That diurnal swing preserves acidity and lets the Tempranillo, here called Tinto Fino, build colour, tannin and concentration over a long ripening. The chalky and sandy soils add a savoury, mineral frame. The wine is aged seventeen months in French oak barrels, where measured oxygen exchange rounds the tannins and adds spice and a fine texture to the fruit. The colour is deep cherry red. The nose shows ripe plum and black cherry with dark chocolate, liquorice and tobacco over cedar and vanilla from the wood. The palate is full and structured, the tannins firm and ripe, the finish long and savoury. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant for an hour. It suits roast lamb, grilled beef and aged hard cheese.