El Hato y el Garabato Sin Blanca 2019

Sin Blanca comes from El Hato y el Garabato in D.O. Arribes, a remote Castilla y León appellation following the Duero gorge along the Portuguese border. The wine is built on Juan García, the area's native red grape, with other local red varieties in the blend. Arribes is defined by steep granite and slate slopes and a microclimate sheltered by the river canyon, which moderates the otherwise harsh continental swings. The poor, free-draining soils keep yields low and concentrate the fruit, while Juan García naturally gives a pale, perfumed and lightly structured red rather than a dense one. The wine spends fourteen months in barrel, a long enough passage to round the tannins and add a savoury, spiced complexity while keeping the alcohol modest at 12 percent. The colour is medium ruby. The nose shows fresh red berries, dried herbs and cracked black pepper over an earthy base. The palate is light to medium bodied, with fine grain tannin, bright acidity and a touch of liquorice on the finish. Serve at 15 to 16 degrees, slightly cool. It is a good match for pork, roast chicken and earthy mushroom dishes.