Venta las Vacas Finca La Cuartilleja Reserva 2020

Finca La Cuartilleja Reserva is made by Vizcarra in the D.O. Ribera del Duero, in Castilla y Leon, from Tempranillo, known locally as tinto fino. The grapes are hand-selected from La Cuartilleja, a plot of 1.60 hectares, and the wine is single varietal. Ribera del Duero sits on a high plateau with poor limestone and clay soils, and its continental climate brings hot days and cold nights that ripen the thick-skinned tinto fino fully while retaining acidity and firm tannins. The wine ages sixteen months in oak barrels and completes malolactic fermentation, which converts sharper malic acid into softer lactic acid for a rounder texture, while the barrel adds vanilla, spice and a savoury frame through slow oxygen exchange. The colour is deep and dark. The nose shows ripe plum and black cherry over chocolate, vanilla, tobacco and pepper. The palate is full bodied and structured, with firm but ripe tannins, dark fruit and a long, spiced finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant for an hour. It is built for roast and grilled red meat and aged cheese.