Barón de Chirel 2020

Baron de Chirel is the flagship red of Marques de Riscal, one of the most established names in D.O.Ca. Rioja. It blends about 80 per cent Tempranillo with a fifth of other varieties, all from a selection of very old vines aged between 80 and 110 years. These low-yielding plots give small crops of concentrated, deeply flavoured fruit, and the wine is made only in strong vintages in limited quantity. After a manual harvest and sorting, it ferments at a controlled 26 degrees with a maceration kept under twelve days, drawing colour and ripe phenolics from the skins without over-extracting. It then spends twenty months in French oak barrels, a long elevage that softens the tannin through steady oxygen exchange and adds vanilla, cedar and spice, while malolactic fermentation builds a fuller texture. It is deep ruby with garnet at the rim. The nose is ripe plum and black cherry with tobacco, sweet spice, leather and a savoury, oak-framed depth. The palate is full and structured, the tannin firm and ripe, the finish long and persistent. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, decanted ahead. It suits roast red meat and game.