Palacio Quemado Crianza 2023

Palacio Quemado Crianza is a red from D.O. Ribera del Guadiana, made by Bodegas Alvear, a family winery founded in 1729, as part of the Palacio Quemado project launched with the Losada Serra family in 1999. The 2023 is 100 percent Tempranillo grown under a continental climate softened by mild Atlantic winds, with warm summers and mild winters. The warm Extremadura growing season ripens the Tempranillo fully, building dark fruit and a rounded body, while the Atlantic influence keeps the wine from tipping into heaviness. Twelve months in American oak barrels add clove, vanilla and a soft sweet-spice frame through the wood's coconut-toned lactones and slow oxygen exchange, while the time in barrel settles the tannins. The wine is bright cherry-red, with a nose of ripe black fruits, cherry and plum interwoven with clove and toasty oak. The palate is medium to full bodied, with supple tannins, ripe red and black fruit and a warm, spiced finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees. It pairs well with roast lamb, grilled pork and hard Spanish cheeses.