'Paraje El Ituero' Tinto DOP Sierra de Salamanca

Product description

Paraje El Ituero 2023 is the ultimate expression of the Rufete grape: a single-varietal wine from a single plot in El Ituero (Cristóbal de la Sierra), planted in 1930 at an altitude of 890 metres on granite soil. Due to the extreme conditions of altitude and poor soil, the vines never produce more than one kilo per vine. The 2023 vintage was particularly warm and yielded a Rufete of exceptional concentration.

Some of the whole bunches are macerated without the use of mechanical force. Following slow fermentation at 23°C and daily pigeage, the wine is racked before the end of alcoholic fermentation to avoid vegetal notes. Alcoholic fermentation is completed in second-fill French oak barrels, followed by malolactic fermentation. After settling, the wine matures for 14 months in barrels: the first six months in 500-litre François Frères barrels and the remaining eight months in 225- and 300-litre Rebollo (Quercus pyrenaica) barrels.

Deep red with a bluish sheen. In the glass, intense notes of peanut and cherry. Well-integrated, juicy oak with ripe, elegant tannins. On the palate, it is expressive and complex, with sweet spices (cloves), cigar box (cedar), balsamic and exotic notes. A sumptuous, pleasant and balanced attack; the grape’s characteristic acidity softens the impact of the alcohol content. A rounded finish of caramel and toffee. Velvety.