Dominio del Águila Peñas Aladas Gran Reserva 2019

Peñas Aladas is a small plot of old vines, around 85 years old, known by this name in La Aguilera, in the heart of Ribera del Duero, in Castilla y León. Surrounded by pine forests, these field-blend vines of Tempranillo, Albillo and Bruñal grow at almost 900 metres, under a harsh continental climate with cool nights. This exceptional terroir, farmed with a jeweller's precision, gives birth to the most confidential wine of Dominio del Águila.

The whole bunches, stems included, are foot-trodden in a lagar, then ferment in stainless-steel tanks with native yeasts. Malolactic fermentation and ageing then take place in French oak barriques, for 51 months, in the estate's cool underground cellars. Only around a thousand bottles are produced.

This wine reveals notes of violet, wild berries, cherry, exotic spices, leather, tobacco, forest floor and graphite. The floral, spicy bouquet gains depth with aeration. The palate, complex and ripe, offers a silky texture, noble tannins and austere minerality, in a balance of great elegance, with a long, distinguished finish.

The history of wine in Spain is so ancient that no one really knows who first brought the vines to the region. By the time the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was already well established, and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a winemaking miracle. After years on the sidelines of the world of fine wines, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in vineyards and wineries are resulting in increasingly rich, complex (often high in alcohol), and spicy reds that are gaining popularity with international consumers. Proud to have more land dedicated to vines than any other country, Spain is only now beginning to capitalize on this resource in a consistent way. Spain is a chaotic jumble of regions and subregions, much like its landscape is a chaotic jumble of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity among Spain's many wine regions, from the lush, green vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the parched vineyards of the southeastern Mediterranean. Spain's saving grace for viticulture is the average altitude of its vineyards, which is over 600 meters. Many Spanish vineyards are thus able to produce grapes with good color and acidity simply because nighttime temperatures are relatively low and the grapes don't ripen until after a sufficiently long growing season. But there is a real treasure trove to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all sorts of ambitious investors have done their part to change the image of Spanish wine. Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun to craft spectacular wines and experiment with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable not so long ago. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.