Hacienda Monasterio Reserva 2020

Hacienda Monasterio Reserva is made by Bodegas Hacienda Monasterio in the D.O. Ribera del Duero, with Peter Sisseck, of Pingus fame, and Carlos de la Fuente guiding the wines. The estate farms ecologically on the high plateau of the Duero valley, where vines sit at altitude on poor limestone and clay soils. The cold continental climate and wide swing between hot days and cold nights ripen the Tinta del Pais slowly while holding onto acidity and firm phenolics, the basis of the wine's depth and ageing potential. A small portion of Cabernet Sauvignon adds backbone and cassis lift. The wine is aged eighteen months in French Allier oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange through the staves polishes the tannins and adds spice, cedar and a measure of toast without burying the fruit. The colour is deep ruby with bright highlights. The nose shows ripe plum and black cherry, dark chocolate, tobacco and sweet spice. The palate is full bodied and structured, with ripe but firm tannin, dense dark fruit and a long, savoury finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant an hour ahead. It calls for roast and grilled red meat.