Bodegas y Viñedos San Román Cartago Paraje del Pozo 2021

Cartago Paraje del Pozo comes from Bodegas y Viñedos San Román in Villaester, the Toro estate of Mariano García, the oenologist behind Mauro and three decades of Vega Sicilia vintages. The winery holds 100 hectares in Toro, planted mainly to Tinta de Toro, the local strain of Tempranillo. Toro is a harsh continental zone of hot days, cold nights and sandy, stony soils, conditions that yield small, thick-skinned berries packed with colour, tannin and dark fruit. The long 36 months in French oak is central to the style: extended barrel ageing resolves the firm tannins through slow oxygen exchange while layering in spice, tobacco and a coffee and chocolate depth. The wine is dense and near opaque, with dark plum, blackberry, liquorice and cocoa on the nose, lifted by black pepper and oak-derived vanilla. The palate is full and structured at 14.5 per cent, the tannins substantial but polished, the finish long and savoury. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant well ahead. It calls for grilled red meat, roast lamb and mature hard cheese.