Volver Single Vineyard Tempranillo 2023

Volver Single Vineyard Tempranillo is a single-vineyard red from Bodegas Volver in D.O. La Mancha, made entirely from Tempranillo grown on the Finca Los Juncares. The vines were planted in 1957 across 29 hectares of sandy and limy soils, old vines whose low yields concentrate the fruit. La Mancha's high, dry continental climate brings hot summers and cold winters, with a wide day to night temperature range that lets the grapes ripen fully to 15 percent while the limestone helps retain acidity. The grapes are picked by hand and sorted at the winery. The wine is fermented malolactically in barrel, a process that converts sharper malic acid into softer lactic acid and gives a rounder, creamier texture, before ageing for 14 months in French oak. There the slow exchange of oxygen through the wood polishes the tannins and adds vanilla, toast and spice. The result is a full bodied, ripe and intense red with dense blackberry and black cherry, plum, vanilla and sweet spice, on supple tannins and a warm, generous finish. Serve at 16 to 18C, with a short decant. It suits grilled red meat, lamb and spiced dishes.