Alonso & Pedrajo Suañé Tinto Reserva 2020

Alonso & Pedrajo is a recent Rioja project shared by two families, and the Suañé Tinto Reserva takes its name from the French word soigné, meaning carefully made. The wine is Tempranillo grown on the clay and limestone soils typical of the appellation, where altitude and cool nights hold back ripening and protect the acidity that gives Rioja its structure and ageing potential. The defining step is twenty-four months in oak barrels. Across that long ageing the slow ingress of oxygen through the staves rounds the tannins and draws the primary fruit into more developed territory, adding cedar, clove, vanilla and a leathery, tertiary character. The wine pours a deep ruby moving to garnet at the edge. The nose is layered, with ripe plum and black cherry behind tobacco, sweet spice and toasted oak. The palate is full and smooth, the tannins fine grained after two years in barrel, with enough acidity to keep the long finish fresh and savoury. Serve at sixteen to eighteen degrees with a short decant, ideally with grilled lamb chops, a roast joint or a wedge of cured hard cheese.