Hacienda Monasterio Reserva Especial 2020

Hacienda Monasterio is a Ribera del Duero estate in Pesquera del Duero, in the Valladolid stretch of Castilla y León, with the winemaking directed by Peter Sisseck, the oenologist behind Pingus. The Reserva Especial is built around Tinto Fino, the local Tempranillo, with a complementary share of Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyards lie on the high Duero plateau, where altitude brings cold nights that hold acidity and colour through a hot, dry continental summer, and the chalky clay and limestone soils lend depth and firm tannin. The grapes are fermented and then aged for 27 months in French oak from Allier, a long maturation that polishes the tannin and adds layers of spice, vanilla and toast through slow oxygen exchange, while the Cabernet lends extra backbone and a cassis edge. The colour is deep, near-opaque ruby. The nose shows black plum, red berries, cracked pepper, tobacco and dark chocolate framed by cedary oak, and the palate is full and powerfully structured at 15 percent, with ripe firm tannin, fresh acidity and a long finish made for the cellar. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, decanted ahead. It suits roast beef, lamb and game.