Matallana 2021

Matallana is a Ribera del Duero red made by Telmo Rodríguez from Tinto Fino, the local name for Tempranillo. Rodríguez revived old vineyard sites here, gathering smallholdings across five villages and eleven districts rather than working a single estate. The soils are a mosaic of clay and red feldspar, which hold water and give the wine its depth and firm shape. Ribera del Duero sits high on the northern Spanish plateau, where hot days and cold nights slow ripening and preserve acidity and colour in the thick-skinned Tinto Fino. That wide diurnal swing is what gives the region its structure. The wine spends fifteen months in French oak, where slow oxygen exchange softens the tannin and adds a spice and vanilla frame around the fruit. The colour is deep and dense. The nose shows ripe plum, dark cherry and black pepper over subtle oak spice. The palate is concentrated and structured, with firm tannin, good acidity and a long savoury finish. Decant it an hour ahead and serve at 16 to 18 degrees. It suits roast lamb, grilled beef and aged sheep's cheese.