Mira Salinas 2017

Sierra Salinas sits west of the Sierra de Salinas in Villena, in the D.O. Alicante, where Monastrell shares 92 hectares with almond and olive trees at around 700 metres above sea level. The altitude is the key to this Mediterranean red: warm days ripen the thick-skinned Monastrell fully, while cooler nights at elevation slow sugar accumulation and preserve acidity and aromatic detail, so the wine carries weight without going flat. Garnacha Tintorera, a teinturier grape with red flesh, deepens colour and adds dark fruit, and a portion of Cabernet Sauvignon lends structure and a savoury, herbal lift. The wine spends fourteen months in French oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange through the staves softens the firm Monastrell tannin and folds in spice and a fine grain of toast. The colour is deep and opaque. The nose leads with ripe plum and black cherry, then liquorice, dried Mediterranean herbs and warm leather. The palate is full and rounded, the fruit ripe and the tannins polished by barrel ageing into a long, peppery finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, ideally decanted an hour ahead, with roast lamb or grilled beef.