Majuelos de Callejo 2021

Majuelos de Callejo is a red from D.O. Ribera del Duero, produced by Bodegas Félix Callejo in Sotillo de la Ribera, a village of around 500 people in the province of Burgos. It is pure Tinta Fina, the local name for Tempranillo, from a single vineyard in the same town planted between 850 and 930 metres. At this height the swing between warm days and cold nights is pronounced, which favours slow, even ripening and so preserves the balanced acidity that keeps the wine fresh. Soils vary across the plot, lending complexity to the fruit. The wine ages eighteen months in French oak barrel, where gentle oxygen exchange through the wood softens the tannins and adds vanilla, toast and a savoury spice to the dark fruit. It is deep ruby, the nose led by ripe plum and black cherry over cedar, earth and sweet spice. The palate is full bodied, with firm but ripe tannins, good acidity from the altitude and a long, lightly oaked finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant an hour before pouring. It suits grilled and roast red meats, mushroom dishes and hard cheeses.