Dominio de Es La Mata 2025

Dominio de Es is Bertrand Sourdais's fragmented project at Atauta, in the high, cool eastern reaches of Ribera del Duero, built from forty-five small plots across barely six hectares. La Mata is a pure Tinto Fino, the local Tempranillo, from bush-trained old vines, many of them pre-phylloxera, on soils of sand, limestone and clay above 950 metres. The altitude is the key: hot days ripen the fruit fully while cold nights lock in acidity and aromatic detail, so the wine carries depth without losing tension. Sandy soils kept phylloxera away and let these old vines survive ungrafted, giving low yields and concentrated, small-berried fruit. Ageing runs around 20 months in French oak, integrating the grape's firm tannin through gradual oxygen exchange and adding restrained spice. It is deep crimson with a nose of blackberry, ripe cherry and red fruit over liquorice, damp earth and a peppery edge. The palate is full and structured, with firm fine tannin and a long, chalky finish drawn from the limestone. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees and decant an hour ahead. It suits grilled red meat and roast lamb.