Cénit Pago Las Salinas 2020 2021

Viñas del Cénit was founded in 2004 in the Tierra del Vino de Zamora, in Castilla y León, a quiet zone of old viticulture in the heart of the Duero plateau. This wine comes from century-old Tempranillo vines, many of them planted before phylloxera, rooted deep in clay-limestone soils that hold water through the dry summers and lend the wine its mineral spine. The continental climate brings hot days and cold nights, and that wide diurnal swing ripens the fruit fully while preserving acidity, here behind a ripe 15 percent alcohol. The wine ages 22 months in oak barrels, where slow oxygen ingress polishes the tannins and adds spice, chocolate and vanilla tones to the dark fruit. The colour is deep ruby. The nose shows ripe plum and black cherry with dark chocolate, liquorice, tobacco and sweet oak spice. The palate is full and structured, with firm but ripe tannins, a dense core of black fruit and a long, savoury finish. This is a serious old-vine red for hearty food. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant for an hour. It is built for roast lamb, grilled beef and game.