Fil·loxera & Cía El Cordero y las Vírgenes 2019

El Cordero y las Vírgenes is made by Fil·loxera & Cía in D.O. Utiel-Requena, in the interior of Valencia. It is a field blend of Garnacha Tinta with Garnacha Blanca, Monastrell, Graciano, Tempranillo and Malvasía, drawing on the mixed old-vine plantings the region was built on. Utiel-Requena is a high, continental plateau tempered by the Mediterranean, where the altitude gives cool nights that keep freshness in the ripe fruit. The wine spends eight months on its lees, where contact with the spent yeast adds texture and a savoury depth, and twenty-four months in oak barrels, a long ageing that settles the tannins and layers in spice through slow oxidation. The result is mature and full bodied. It is deep ruby with some garnet at the rim. The nose leads on black and red fruit, dark plum and berries, with black pepper, dried herbs and liquorice over an earthy, faintly balsamic base. The palate is broad and warming, the tannins ripe and rounded by the barrel time, finishing long and savoury. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant ahead. Good with roast and braised red meats and game. From respectful viticulture.