Emilio Moro Clon de la Familia 2018

Emilio Moro is a leading producer in Ribera del Duero, on the high plateau of Castilla y León, and Clon de la Familia is its top red, made from a clonal selection of the family's oldest and best Tinto Fino vines, the local strain of Tempranillo. Over three generations the family propagated cuttings from its finest plants to preserve their power and concentration. Ribera sits at high altitude with a harsh continental climate, where hot days and cold nights and a wide diurnal range build thick skins, deep colour and firm tannins while holding acidity. The old vines yield small, concentrated crops. The wine is aged in oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange builds and refines the dense tannins and oak adds vanilla, spice and a cedary frame. The colour is deep and opaque. The nose shows blackberry and ripe plum, liquorice, oak spice and a distinctive stony minerality. The palate is full and powerful, with concentrated dark fruit, firm but ripe tannins and fresh acidity through a long finish, in a wine built to age. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant an hour or two ahead, or cellar. It calls for roast and grilled red meat.