Gran Callejo 2019

Félix Callejo farms in Sotillo de la Ribera in D.O. Ribera del Duero, a family project begun in 1989 and now run by four siblings. Gran Callejo is pure Tempranillo, the variety known here as Tinto Fino, from the family's vineyards. Ribera del Duero is a high, continental plateau where dry summers and cold winters meet a wide day to night temperature range, the swing that lets Tempranillo build deep colour and ripe tannin while keeping its acidity and aromatic freshness through the long ripening. The wine ages 24 months in French oak, an extended spell in which slow oxygen exchange resolves the firm tannins and the barrel contributes vanilla, cedar and spice, turning primary fruit towards savoury and tobacco-tinged complexity. The colour is deep and dark. The nose is ripe and layered, with blackberry and plum over tobacco, sweet spice and a cedary, oak-derived note. The palate is full and structured, the tannins firm but polished, carried by fresh acidity to a long, savoury finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant an hour or two before serving. It is made for roast and grilled red meat.