Can Feixes Tradició Crianza 2016

Huguet de Can Feixes farm this red on their estate at Cabrera d'Anoia, in the most northerly and highest reaches of D.O. Penedès where the appellation meets L'Anoia. The altitude and the hills that divide the two regions give cooler nights and a longer ripening period, holding acidity and aromatic freshness in a warm Mediterranean climate. The blend leads on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with Petit Verdot and the local Ull de Llebre, a mix that frames Bordeaux structure with Catalan character. After careful destemming the must is fermented on skins to draw out colour and tannin, then the wine spends twelve months in French oak, where slow oxygen exchange through the staves softens the tannins and adds cedar and sweet spice. The 2016 is deep ruby with a garnet edge. The nose offers ripe plum, blackcurrant and cherry over tobacco, cedar and damp earth. The palate is medium to full, firm but resolved, with fine grain tannin and a savoury, lightly herbal finish. Serve at 16 to 18C, and decant an hour ahead. It suits roast lamb, grilled beef and aged hard cheese.