Viuda Negra Crianza 2023

Viuda Negra Crianza is a monovarietal Tempranillo made by Bodegas Javier San Pedro Ortega, run by the fifth generation of the San Pedro family with more than 100 hectares around Laguardia in the Rioja Alavesa. Tempranillo here grows on poor calcareous clay over limestone, the chalky, free-draining soils of the Alavesa that hold the variety's acidity and give its dark red fruit a savoury, structured line. The continental climate, moderated by altitude and the shelter of the Sierra de Cantabria, brings warm days and cool nights, a diurnal swing that ripens the fruit while keeping it fresh. To qualify as Crianza the wine ages at least a year in barrel, here fourteen months across French and American oak. American oak lends vanilla and coconut, French oak adds finer clove and tighter grain, and the slow oxygen exchange through both rounds the tannins. The colour is a deep cherry red. The nose shows dark cherry, plum, red berries, vanilla and clove, with a turn of tobacco. The palate is medium to full, the tannins ripe and the finish savoury and lightly spiced. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees. Good with roast lamb, grilled meats or Manchego.