Elías Mora Reserva 2015

Elías Mora Reserva is a single variety Tinta de Toro red from Bodegas Elías Mora in San Román de Hornija, D.O. Toro, a winery founded in 2000 and now led by Victoria Benavides. Toro lies on a high plateau in Castilla y León, west of Ribera del Duero, where Tinta de Toro, the local Tempranillo, ripens fully under a hot, dry continental climate to give deep colour, ripe tannin and a higher alcohol of 14.5 per cent. The vineyards sit between the Duero and the Hornija on sandy soils that suited ungrafted old vines, and the wide gap between hot days and cold nights holds acidity for balance. As a Reserva the wine ages twenty four months in French oak barrels, where the long, slow oxygen exchange softens Toro's firm tannins and adds spice and a fine grain. The colour is deep, dark ruby. The nose shows ripe plum and black cherry with dark chocolate, liquorice, tobacco and pepper over toasted oak. The palate is full and powerful, the tannins firm and ripe, the finish long. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant for an hour. It suits grilled red meat, lamb and game.