Casa Lebai Matadiablos 2023

Drink it now or cellar for up to 15 years. No need to decant, but best to open it half an hour before service. Casa Lebai is a young Spanish winery founded by Rodrigo and Asier Calvo in Gumiel de Mercado in the Ribera del Duero wine region of Spain. Their Matadiablos is a red wine made with Tinto Fino grapes, the local name for Tempranillo, sourced from the homonymous vineyard planted in the late 1990s by Asier and Rodrigo's grandfather on a gentle slope in the Aguachar area. Here, the vines are grown using the traditional bush-trained system on clay soil and enjoy a northern exposure. After harvest, the grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks, and the finished wine ages for one year in 3,000-liter oak barrels. In the glass, the wine reveals a bright cherry color with clear purple highlights. Its aromatic profile is broad and fragrant, with fresh notes of small red fruits and intriguing floral hints on a distinctive mineral background. On the palate, it is expressive and linear, elegant and rich, but not opulent. It has a medium body and a refreshing acidity that provides a balanced taste. It is fruity, with a long, persistent finish that evokes mineral notes. It certainly reveals good potential for aging and evolution, but can already be enjoyed now with game birds, meatballs in sauce, or roast lamb chops.