Torremorón Vendimia Seleccionada 2021

Bodegas Torremoron is a grower cooperative in Ribera del Duero, the high-altitude red wine region of Castilla y Leon. Its Vendimia Seleccionada is made from Tinto Fino, the local name for Tempranillo, selected from the older vineyards. Ribera del Duero sits on a high plateau where intense daytime sun ripens the fruit fully, pushing this wine to a generous 15.5 percent alcohol, while cold nights and a wide diurnal range lock in colour, acidity and aromatic intensity. The chalk and clay soils retain water through the dry summers and concentrate the fruit. The wine ages twenty-four months in oak, a long maturation that builds structure and adds vanilla, chocolate and sweet spice through steady oxygen exchange while softening the firm tannins. The colour is deep, near-opaque ruby. The nose is intense, with ripe dark plum, black cherry, dark chocolate and tobacco over vanilla and liquorice from the wood. The palate is full-bodied and powerful, the tannins ripe and abundant, the alcohol warming, all framed by good acidity into a long finish. It will reward a few years in the cellar. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, decanted. It needs hearty red meat.