Tomás Postigo 5º Año 2021

Tomás Postigo 5º Año comes from Tomás Postigo, a chemical researcher and one of the founders of the Ribera del Duero appellation who started making his own wine in 2008. It blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot with the local Tinto Fino, the Ribera name for Tempranillo, an unusually international mix for the region. The vineyards lie on the high Castilian plateau, where altitude and the wide gap between hot days and cold nights slow ripening and lock in acidity and colour, giving these reds their density and grip. The estate was the first in the region to earn the Huella de Carbono certification for sustainable farming. The wine ages 12 months in 225-litre French oak barrels, the classic barrique size, whose tighter grain and higher surface contact build fine tannin and add cedar and spice. At 15 percent it is full and ripe. It pours a deep red. The nose is juicy red berry and plum with spice and a balsamic, herbal edge, vanilla and oak underneath. The palate is broad and structured, with ripe tannin and a long finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant ahead. Good with red meat.