Viña Pedrosa Reserva 2020

Viña Pedrosa Reserva is a Ribera del Duero red from Bodegas Hermanos Pérez Pascuas, a family winery founded in 1980 at Pedrosa de Duero. The vineyards are planted mainly to Tinta del País, the local Tempranillo, with a little Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Ribera del Duero lies on a high Castilian plateau where hot days and cold nights create a wide diurnal range, slowing ripening so the Tinto Fino grapes keep acidity and aromatic freshness while building colour and tannin, the source of the region's depth. The winery keeps a large collection of around 3,000 barrels and renews them every three years to maintain a consistent contribution of oak compounds and toast, which shapes the house style. This Reserva is aged twenty-four months in French oak followed by eighteen months in bottle, a long élevage that resolves the firm tannins through slow oxygen exchange and integrates spice, vanilla and toast into the fruit. Expect a deep cherry red, a nose of ripe plum, black cherry and redcurrant with tobacco, cocoa and sweet oak, and a full, structured palate with a long savoury finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted an hour ahead. Good with roast lamb and grilled beef.