MacRobert & Canals La Nave Tinto 2022

MacRobert & Canals brings together Bryan MacRobert, a South African oenologist with a deep attachment to the land, and the Canals family, who settled in La Rioja more than forty years ago after roots in Tenerife, Madrid and Tarragona. La Nave Tinto is a red from Castilla y Leon built on Mencia and Garnacha Tintorera alongside a little Palomino and other local varieties. Mencia brings fresh red fruit and a savoury, mineral edge, while the dark-fleshed Garnacha Tintorera adds colour and depth of black fruit. The continental plateau climate, with warm days and cool nights, holds acidity and lets the fruit ripen evenly. Farming is respectful and low input, and the wine spends thirteen months in oak barrels, which softens the tannin and adds a light spice while letting the fruit lead. The colour is cherry red with violet tints. The nose shows red and black fruit, pepper and dried herbs, while the palate is medium bodied and savoury with fresh acidity and rounded tannin. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees. It suits grilled meats, roast lamb and hard cheeses.