Pittacum Aurea 2020

Bodegas Pittacum makes this Bierzo red from Mencia grown on the Finca Areixola estate, where vines run past a hundred years of age. Bierzo sits in a sheltered basin in the north-west of Castilla y Leon, its old-vine Mencia planted on slate and clay slopes that drain well and force the roots deep, giving wines their characteristic graphite and red-fruit signature. The fruit is picked by hand and carried to the winery in small 12 kilo boxes to avoid breakage, then sorted cluster by cluster so only clean, ripe grapes are fermented. Ageing runs to 14 months in French oak, where the barrel allows a measured exchange of oxygen that softens the grape's natural tannin and folds in cedar and a touch of vanilla. Old-vine concentration and low yields give the wine its depth without heaviness. It shows a deep cherry red, with a nose of raspberry, dark cherry, plum and liquorice over leather and damp earth. The palate is medium to full, firm but fine-grained in tannin, the fruit carried on fresh acidity to a savoury, mineral finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanting half an hour ahead. Suits roast meats and game.