Veronica Ortega Cobrana 2022

Drink it now or cellar for up to 10 years. No need to decant but best to open it half an hour before service. The energetic and talented winemaker Verónica Ortega began her project in 2010 in Valtuille de Abajo, in El Bierzo. Today, her small winery covers about 5 hectares of old vineyards, cultivated organically, where the dominant grape variety is Mencia. Cobrana is a red blend of Mencía, and other red grapes, with additional additions of white grapes such as Dona Blanca, Godello, and Palomino, in small quantities. The grapes are selected and harvested by hand from vines over ninety years old in a vineyard located at about 750 meters and planted on degraded slate and clay soils. Fermentation occurs spontaneously after a short maceration and the finished wine rests in a mix of oak barrels and amphora for 13 months. In the glass, the wine reveals a delicate and elegant character with a fragrant aromatic profile and notes of rose petals, small red fruits, dried herbs, and pepper. On the palate, it is juicy and flavorful. It has a medium body and fine and soft tannins. The finish is long and balanced. In food pairings it is quite versatile: it goes well with pork, oily fish, and game birds.

Price: £31.02 from 8wines UK