De Muller Legítim 2021

De Muller is one of the oldest names in Priorat, founded in 1851, and Legítim is its red from the Siurana river valley. The blend is led by Garnacha Tinta at 60 percent, with Merlot, Syrah and Cariñena filling out the structure, grown on trellised vines in the area's hard, stony soils. The Mediterranean climate here brings a strong shift in temperature between night and day, which preserves acidity and aroma in the ripe fruit. The wine ages for 12 months in a mix of French and American oak barrels, where the slow ingress of oxygen rounds the tannins and the French wood adds spice while the American contributes sweeter vanilla and coconut tones. The result is deeply coloured, with a nose of ripe black fruit, blackberry and plum, layered with oak spice, liquorice and a savoury mineral edge from the soils. The palate is full and firm, with the warm 14.5 percent alcohol balanced by grippy tannin and a long finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted ahead of a meal, with grilled red meat or a mature hard cheese.