Gutiérrez de la Vega Rojo y Negro 2022

Felipe Gutiérrez de la Vega, a pioneer of natural sweet Moscatel in the Valencia region, here turns to Giró, the local name for the Garnacha grape, for a dry red named after Stendhal's novel Le Rouge et le Noir. Garnacha is thin skinned and gives pale colour, gentle tannin and bright, perfumed red fruit, qualities that come through clearly in this lighter, fragrant style at 13.5% alcohol. The vines grow in the warm, dry Mediterranean climate of the Valencian interior on poor, free draining soils that keep yields low and aroma concentrated, while cooler sites and careful handling preserve the freshness and lift the grape can lose in heat. The wine is aged for around twenty months in oak barrels, a long maturation for a wine of this weight, during which slow oxygen exchange softens the tannins and adds gentle spice and a savoury, earthy complexity while keeping the fruit in focus. The colour is light ruby. The nose offers strawberry, red cherry, dried herbs and a touch of pepper over earth. The palate is medium bodied and fresh, with fine, soft tannins and a savoury finish. Serve at 15 to 16 degrees. It suits lighter meats and earthy dishes.