Los Confines de Prieto Pariente 2023

Los Confines is Prieto Pariente's old-vine Garnacha from the Sierra de Gredos, west of Madrid, drawing on two high vineyards above Cebreros and San Bartolome de Pinares planted at over 1,000 metres. At that altitude the days are warm and the nights cold, a wide diurnal swing that ripens Garnacha gently while holding bright acidity and keeping the fruit fresh and aromatic. The vines grow on slate soils, the decomposed rock that gives Gredos Garnacha its hallmark minerality, a stony, faintly meaty character that runs through the wine. Old vines and poor soils keep yields low and concentration high without weight. The wine is aged ten months in used French oak barrels, mature wood that rounds the tannins and adds breadth without imposing oak flavour. The colour is bright, light ruby. The nose is fragrant, with red cherry and raspberry, violet, dried herbs and crushed pepper over a stony note. The palate is medium bodied and fresh, the tannins fine, the acidity lively and the finish long and mineral. Serve at 15 to 17 degrees. It suits roast pork, poultry, duck and roasted root vegetables.