Dominio de Atauta La Roza 2017

Dominio de Atauta lies in the Valle de Atauta in Soria, the highest and most easterly part of Ribera del Duero, an area prized for its old, ungrafted Tinto Fino vines and its patchwork of soils, orientations and altitudes. La Roza draws on that diversity, with the elevation bringing a wide day to night temperature swing that preserves acidity, freshness and aromatic detail rarely found at warmer sites. The cool nights and old, low yielding vines concentrate flavour while keeping the alcohol in check at fourteen percent. The wine is farmed organically. After fermentation it ages eighteen months in oak barrels, which rounds the firm tannins, fixes colour through slow oxidation and adds measured spice without dominating the fruit. In the glass it is deep ruby, with dark plum and red berry on the nose over earth, liquorice, tobacco and a stony minerality. The palate is structured and savoury, the tannins fine grained, with bright acidity and a long, mineral finish. Serve at sixteen to eighteen degrees and decant; it pairs with roasted and braised red meats.