Inés Vizcarra 2022

Bodegas Vizcarra sits in Mambrilla de Castrejón in D.O. Ribera del Duero and was founded in 1991 by Juan Carlos Vizcarra. This wine, named after his second daughter, blends Tinto Fino, the local Tempranillo, with Merlot. Ribera del Duero has a continental climate with low rainfall, dry summers and long, harsh winters, and temperatures swing sharply between day and night. That wide diurnal range is the key to the region's reds, letting the grapes ripen to deep colour and ripe tannin in the day while the cold nights lock in acidity and aromatic freshness. The wine ages 16 months in a mix of French and American oak, where slow oxygen exchange softens the tannins and the barrel adds vanilla, cocoa and spice. The colour is dark and saturated. The nose is ripe, with blackberry and plum over cocoa, vanilla and a savoury, earthy note. The palate is full and structured, the tannins firm but ripe, the Merlot rounding the mid-palate while the Tinto Fino drives the length. The finish is long and spicy. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant an hour ahead. It suits grilled and roasted red meat.