Enate Crianza 2021

Enate Crianza comes from Bodegas Enate, founded in 1991 and now a leading name in D.O. Somontano, in the foothills of the Pyrenees in Aragón. It blends Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo, a pairing that joins the cassis and structure of the Bordeaux grape to the red fruit and suppleness of the Spanish one. Somontano lies at the meeting of mountain and plain, where cool air off the Pyrenees stretches the growing season and a marked diurnal range keeps the fruit fresh while it ripens fully. The soils are stony and limestone rich, draining well and lending the wine a firm backbone. The wine ages for nine months in French and American oak, where slow oxygen exchange through the staves softens the tannin and the wood contributes vanilla, smoke and clove. The colour is deep ruby. The nose is led by ripe red fruit with smoky and spicy edges, and the palate is full bodied, with rounded tannins, fresh acidity and a long savoury finish. At 15 percent it has clear warmth. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees, decanting if young. A reliable match for grilled and roast red meats and mature cheeses.