Dehesa de los Canónigos 2023

Dehesa de los Canónigos was founded in 1988 on the banks of the River Duero at Pesquera del Duero, in the heart of Ribera del Duero. This wine blends Tinto Fino, the local Tempranillo, with about twelve percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Ribera del Duero sits on a high plateau where altitude and a sharp diurnal range give cold nights that preserve acidity and colour while hot days ripen the fruit fully, the combination that gives the region its depth and structure. The harvest and selection are done by hand. After a traditional fermentation, the wine ages for fifteen months in medium-toasted, fine-grain American oak, which softens the tannins through slow oxygen exchange and adds sweeter vanilla and coconut spice. The colour is deep and bright. The nose shows ripe black fruit, plum and blackberry, with cherry in liqueur and a hint of liquorice over vanilla and cocoa from the wood. The palate is full and rounded, with ripe tannins, dark fruit and a long, oak-spiced finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted ahead of the meal. It suits roast lamb and grilled beef.