Madremía 2023

Madremía comes from Bodegas Divina Proporción in D.O. Toro, on the high continental plateau of Castilla y León. The climate here is extreme, with summer highs near forty degrees and winter lows around minus ten, and a wide swing between day and night temperatures that lets the grapes ripen fully while holding their acidity. The wine is a varietal Tinta de Toro, the local Tempranillo clone, from vines over forty years old farmed in an environmentally friendly way; old vines on Toro's sandy, stony soils give low yields of small, thick-skinned grapes rich in colour and tannin. After fermentation the wine ages nine months in French and American oak, where measured oxygen exchange rounds the firm tannins and folds in cocoa, spice and a light vanilla edge. The colour is dense and youthful. The nose layers ripe redcurrant and cherry over gentle cocoa and wild flowers. The palate is juicy and vibrant, full bodied but fresh, with dark fruit, sweet spice and a grippy, structured finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted ahead of grilled red meat, roast lamb or mushroom dishes.