Matarromera Reserva 2022

Matarromera Reserva is a single-variety Tempranillo from Bodega Matarromera in the Ribera del Duero. The fruit comes from a large estate vineyard planted at around 850 metres above sea level, a high-altitude site where intense daytime sun and cold nights drive a wide diurnal range that ripens the thick-skinned Tempranillo while preserving acidity and fine aromatics. Fermentation runs in stainless steel tanks for ten to fourteen days at twenty-eight degrees, a warm ferment that extracts colour, tannin and dark fruit from the skins. The wine then ages eighteen months in a mix of American and French oak, the American barrels adding rounder vanilla and coconut and the French contributing finer spice and structure, with the slow oxygen exchange through the wood softening the tannins. It pours a deep dark ruby. The nose shows ripe blackberry and dark plum lifted by a pronounced stony mineral undertone, with toasted oak and a hint of cocoa behind. The palate is full and structured, with ripe firm tannins, fresh acidity and a long savoury finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant an hour ahead. It pairs with roast and grilled red meats.