El Bosque 2023

El Bosque is a single-vineyard Rioja from Viñedos Sierra Cantabria, part of the wider Sierra Cantabria group that also owns Señorío de San Vicente, Dominio de Eguren and Teso la Monja in Toro. The fruit comes from Finca El Bosque, a 1.5 hectare plot of Tempranillo with old vines over 40 years of age, farmed biodynamically. Old vines crop a small, concentrated yield, and the clay and limestone soils of the Rioja Alavesa, set against the shelter of the Sierra de Cantabria, hold freshness through warm summers. The wine is fermented as a single varietal and aged 18 months in French oak, where slow oxygen exchange across the barrel firms the tannin and adds vanilla and toast around the fruit. The colour is deep and bright. The nose is intense, led by black fruit such as blackberry and blueberry, with sweet spice, liquorice and a savoury, earthy edge. At 14.5 percent the palate is full and structured, with firm tannin, fresh acidity and a long finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, and decant an hour or two ahead. A wine for roast and grilled meats.