Pardevalles Gamonal 2022

Vinedos y Bodega Pardevalles was founded in 1949 in Valdevimbre, in the D.O. Tierra de Leon in north west Spain, and works only with the region's indigenous grapes. Gamonal is made entirely from Prieto Picudo, a local variety prized for its deep colour, firm structure and dark fruit. The estate farms thirty eight hectares on stony, alluvial soils over a high plateau, where hot days and cold nights, a wide diurnal swing, ripen the fruit while holding acidity and colour, giving wines that are both powerful and fresh. Prieto Picudo is naturally rich in tannin and pigment, so the reds are dense and built to age. The wine spends around twelve months in French and American oak, where slow oxygen exchange softens the tannin, while American oak leans towards vanilla and coconut and French oak towards subtler spice. Colour is deep, near opaque purple. The nose shows ripe plum, black and red berries and cherry with liquorice, sweet oak spice and pepper. The palate is full bodied and structured, with firm tannin, good acidity and a long, dark fruited finish. Decant for half an hour and serve at around seventeen degrees, with red meats and hard cheese.