Divina Proporción Abracadabra 2023

Divina Proporción, founded in 2009, makes Abracadabra in D.O. Toro from Tinta de Toro. The climate here is continental with Atlantic influence, with summers reaching 40 degrees and winters dropping to minus 10, and a wide swing between day and night temperatures. That diurnal range is central to the wine: warm days build sugar, colour and ripe tannin, while cold nights slow the loss of acidity and lock in aromatics. The fruit comes from vines over 40 years old, farmed under organic guidelines, which keeps yields low and the fruit concentrated. The wine completes malolactic fermentation, converting sharp malic acid to softer lactic acid for a rounder texture, then ages 14 months in French and American oak, where slow oxygen exchange firms the tannins and adds vanilla and toast. It pours a deep, dark red. The nose shows wild blackberry and candied plum, liquorice, black pepper and sweet oak spice. The palate is full and structured at 15% alcohol, with firm ripe tannins, concentrated dark fruit and a long, savoury finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant. It suits grilled and roast red meat.