Petit Hipperia 2024

Petit Hipperia is made by Pago de Vallegarcía in VT Castilla, an estate in the foothills of the Montes de Toledo. It is a Bordeaux-style blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, with the proportions shifting each vintage. The estate sits at altitude on poor, well-draining soils, and the continental climate of hot days and cold nights gives a wide diurnal range that ripens these later varieties while holding acidity and aromatic freshness. Winemaking starts with a three-day cold maceration at around ten degrees, drawing colour and aroma from the skins before fermentation begins, followed by a twenty-one-day fermentation with frequent pumping over to build structure. The wine is then aged twelve months in French oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange softens the tannin and adds a measured frame of spice and cedar without burying the fruit. It pours deep ruby, medium to full bodied, with a nose of red and black fruit, plum and cherry over black pepper, cedar and dried herbs. The palate balances freshness and depth, with fine ripe tannin and a savoury, lightly spiced finish. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees, decanting if young. It suits red meats and mushroom dishes.