Bodegas Castaño Solanera (75cl, 14.5%)

Bodegas Castaño Solanera is a Monastrell-dominant red blend from Yecla, Spain, bottled at 14.5% ABV. The cuvée is composed of 70% Monastrell, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Grenache, aged for 10 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels. The fruit comes from the Casa Marta vineyard, a nine-hectare, head-pruned, dry-farmed plot on very stony soils in the north of Yecla at the foot of Mount Arabí. The high-altitude limestone terroir at 900 metres contributes minerality and freshness. The nose opens with ripe blackberry and blueberry, dark plum, violet, cedary savoriness, white pepper and graphite. The palate is full-bodied, with sweet cassis, blueberry, plum, spice and a chalky mineral streak. The finish is long, with earthy tannins, dark fruit, oaky sweetness, crushed chalk and spice.