Grape - Tempranillo
Where - Ribera del Duero, Spain
What - Alfredo Maestro. Alfredo Maestro. Alfredo Maestro. If you're not sick of us banging on about Alfredo Maestro yet then you're about to be. We love everything this guy does. He's a bit of a rulebreaker in the world of wine; refusing certifications left, right and centre just to rebel against the system. Many of his vineyards follow biodynamic processes and he takes a true, natural approach to his winemaking, adding no sulphites whatsoever. 
 
For the Almate, Maestro picks only the highest quality Tempranillo and ferments in stainless steel before ageing for 16 months in old French oak barrels. The vibrancy is very impressive and the darkness of the juice makes it feel warming and indulgent. On the nose, you get all sorts of ripe dark fruit, violets and sticky toffee pudding. The texture has great structure with flavours of rosewater, granite and tart red fruit on the palate. The fairly long finish gives more of a coulis vibe; blackberry or plum with a touch of lavender. 
 
We recommend opening the bottle for twenty minutes or so to open up the depth. 
 
Fresh, dark, floral. Vegan. Low intervention. Organic practicing. Biodynamic practicing. ABV 14%.