Pago de Valtarreña 2022

Pago de Valtarreña is a red from D.O. Ribera del Duero, made by the Carmelo Rodero winery, who began his own project in 1990 after years tending his family's vines. It is pure Tinta del Pais, the local Tempranillo, from vineyards of around 45 to 55 years old set on calcareous clay over French sands. The clay holds moisture and gives body and grip, while the sand drains freely and lifts the fruit, and the limestone keeps acidity firm in Ribera's hot days and cold nights. Old vines crop modestly but bring depth and concentration. The grapes are picked by hand into 12 kilogram boxes to keep the fruit intact. The wine then ages twenty-four months in French oak barrel, a long spell in which slow oxygen exchange through the staves softens the tannins and adds vanilla, toast, tobacco and spice. It is deep, dark ruby, with ripe plum, black cherry, liquorice and toasted oak on the nose. The palate is full bodied and structured, the dark fruit held by firm, ripe tannins and a long, savoury finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted ahead of the meal. It suits roast red meats, game and hard cheeses.