Tierras de Cair 2020

Tierras de Cair is a Tempranillo from Dominio de Cair, the Ribera del Duero project of the Cañas family of Rioja, based in La Aguilera, near Burgos. The estate works old, low-yielding vineyards, some over a hundred years old, which give little fruit but a great deal of character. Ribera del Duero sits on a high plateau where vines grow on limestone and sandy clay soils; the altitude brings cold nights and large temperature swings that hold acidity and deepen colour during the long, slow ripening. After fermentation the wine ages 24 months in French oak barrels, where the steady ingress of oxygen through the wood rounds the firm tannins and adds spice, vanilla and cedar, while malolactic fermentation broadens the texture and tempers the acidity. The wine is deep, dark ruby. The nose shows ripe plum and black berry fruit, dark chocolate and black pepper over liquorice and toasty oak. The palate is full and structured, with firm, fine-grained tannins, bright acidity and a long, mineral finish that reflects the limestone. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, decanted, with roast lamb or grilled beef.