Monte Real Cuvée 2020

Bodegas Riojanas is a century-old house in Cenicero, founded in 1890 and now a classic of the D.O.Ca. Rioja. Monte Real Cuvée blends Tempranillo with Graciano from four of the estate's best plots in the Rioja Alta, where calcareous clay soils, altitude and a continental climate hold acidity and give the wine its structure and ageing potential. Graciano adds colour, freshness and aromatic lift to the Tempranillo base. The wine spends eighteen months in a mix of French and American oak, where slow oxygen exchange softens the tannin and the American barrels in particular bring vanilla and sweet spice, in the traditional Rioja manner. The result is deep ruby with aromas of red berries and plum over vanilla, leather, dried herbs and a tobacco note. The palate is medium to full bodied with ripe tannin, fresh acidity and a savoury, oak-framed finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees in a Burgundy glass, with a short decant. It pairs with roast lamb, beef and aged cheese.