Finca Azaya 2019

Bodegas Valduero makes Finca Azaya from Tempranillo grown in Gumiel de Mercado in Burgos, at the centre of the Ribera del Duero appellation. This is high plateau country, where vineyards sit on limestone and clay at altitude and the cold nights of a continental climate preserve acidity and aromatic freshness through a hot growing season. Tempranillo, known locally as Tinto Fino, ripens fully here while keeping its dark-fruit profile and firm tannic spine. The wine is built in a Crianza style, with 14 months in barrel followed by 12 months in bottle, a period in oak long enough for the slow ingress of oxygen to polish the tannins and lend toast, coffee and vanilla, and a bottle rest that knits the components together before release. It pours a deep, near-opaque red, with a nose of ripe plum and black cherry lifted by menthol and liquorice over roasted coffee and sweet spice. The palate is full and structured, the ripe black fruit framed by firm but rounded tannins and carried to a long, savoury finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanting an hour ahead. A natural partner for roast and grilled red meats.