Gran Tábula 2018

Bodegas Tábula sits at Olivares del Duero in Valladolid, in the heart of the Ribera del Duero. The appellation runs along the high Duero valley at around 800 metres, where searing summer days and sharply cold nights create one of Spain's widest diurnal ranges. That swing lets Tempranillo, here called Tinto Fino, ripen its tannin and fruit fully while retaining the firm acidity that gives Ribera reds their backbone and ageing capacity. The grapes for Gran Tábula come from 60-year-old vines on loamy-calcareous soil, low-yielding plots that concentrate flavour and lend a fine mineral grain. The wine ages 18 months in French oak, where slow oxygen ingress fixes the deep colour, polishes the firm tannin and adds cedar, clove and vanilla that frame rather than cover the fruit. The colour is dense ruby with a purple core. The nose carries black plum and cherry over liquorice, sweet oak spice and a stony, earthy depth. The palate is full and structured, with firm ripe tannin, fresh acidity and a long savoury finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, decanting an hour ahead, with grilled red meat or game.