Enate Varietales 2021

Enate Varietales comes from the Enate winery in the D.O. Somontano in Aragón, which since 1991 has combined traditional growing with modern cellar technique. The wine brings together the three international varieties most associated with Somontano: Cabernet Sauvignon for structure and cassis, Merlot for flesh and Syrah for pepper and dark fruit. Somontano sits at the foot of the Pyrenees, where altitude and cold mountain nights set against warm days preserve acidity and aromatics while the fruit ripens fully, here to a generous 15 per cent. The soils are stony and calcareous, draining well and keeping yields in check. After fermentation the wine spends time in stainless steel before eighteen months in French oak, where slow oxygen exchange knits the tannins and adds vanilla, cedar and toast. The colour is deep red with violet tints. The nose shows ripe black plum and cherry over pepper, dark chocolate and smoky oak. The palate is full and structured, with ripe tannin, warmth and a long, spiced finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanting ahead. It calls for grilled and roast red meat.