Gran Chobeo de Peciña 2012

Gran Chobeo de Peciña comes from Hermanos Peciña, an organic estate in the Rioja Alta working in a traditional Riojan style. The wine is made from Tempranillo, the region's signature variety, grown on the clay-limestone soils that give Rioja Alta its structure and ageing capacity. The continental climate, with cold winters and warm summers moderated by Atlantic influence, ripens the fruit slowly and preserves acidity. After fermentation the wine is aged for ten months in barrel, where gentle oxidation rounds the tannins, softens the fruit into jammier tones and adds spice and a leathery, tobacco-edged complexity that develops with bottle age in this 2012. The colour is mature ruby with garnet at the rim. The nose shows red fruit, jammy notes and spicy hints of clove and vanilla, moving into leather and tobacco. The palate is smooth, fresh and velvety, medium-bodied with well-balanced acidity and fine, resolved tannin running to a savoury finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanting briefly. It is a natural partner for roast lamb and aged cheese.