Otazu Altar 2019

Otazu Altar is a single-plot Cabernet Sauvignon from Bodega Otazu, the first winery to make estate wines from its own ground outside the old village of Otazu in Navarra. The estate sits within the small Pago de Otazu denomination, on gravel and clay soils at the foot of the Sierra del Perdón, where cool nights and a continental climate slow ripening and preserve the acidity and aromatic precision that mark good Cabernet. The wide diurnal range here helps the thick-skinned grapes build firm tannin and deep colour while holding their freshness. The wine is aged 18 months in French oak barrels, a long ageing that polishes the tannins, adds cedar, cocoa and vanilla through the wood, and lets controlled oxygen exchange knit the structure together. It is deep, almost opaque ruby, with a nose of redcurrant, ripe plum and cassis lifted by cocoa, sweet tobacco and oak spice. The palate is structured and serious at 14% alcohol, with firm but ripe tannins, good acidity and a long savoury finish. This is a red built to age. Serve at 16 to 18C, decanting well ahead, with roast and grilled red meat.