Altún Villacardiel 2023

Altún Villacardiel is a young Tempranillo from Laguardia in Rioja Alavesa, a family winery rooted in an area whose carved stone wine presses date back centuries. The vineyards sit on clay and limestone soils at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria, where altitude and cool nights give a wide diurnal range that keeps the fruit fresh and the acidity bright. This is an early-drinking style: after fermentation the wine spends eight months in oak barrels and six months in concrete tanks. The short oak ageing settles the tannins and lends a touch of vanilla and spice, while the concrete lets the wine breathe and rest without adding wood flavour, preserving the primary red-berry fruit and the supple texture. It pours a vivid cherry red and shows fresh red berries, cherry and plum with a light peppery lift and only a whisper of oak. The palate is juicy and medium bodied, the tannins soft and the finish clean and fruit-driven. Serve a little cool at 14 to 16 degrees, with roast chicken, grilled pork or a tomato-based pasta.