# Dominio de Atauta, Llanos del Almendro (2016)

- **Producer:** Bodegas Dominio de Atauta
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Tempranillo
- **Region:** Castilla y León, Spain
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 15.0%
- **Average price:** €130
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, blackberry, violet, liquorice, black pepper, vanilla, cedar, smoke, cloves, chocolate, leather, forest floor, wet leaves, mushroom, game

## About this wine

Dominio de Atauta is located in the unique, high-altitude Atauta Valley in the Soria province, at the eastern end of the Ribera del Duero appellation. This isolated valley is renowned for its extreme continental climate and sandy-clay soils, which naturally protected the vines from the phylloxera epidemic. As a result, the estate boasts an extraordinary heritage of pre-phylloxera, ungrafted vines that are over 140 years old. The 'Llanos del Almendro' cuvée is a single-vineyard expression sourced from a tiny, north-facing terrace situated at 965 meters above sea level, representing one of the most distinctive and highly acclaimed terroirs in Spain.

## Interesting facts

- Sourced from pre-phylloxera, ungrafted vines averaging more than 140 years of age in the extreme high-altitude Atauta Valley.
- The Atauta Valley is protected as a site of Cultural Interest, featuring 114 historical hand-dug subterranean cave-cellars.
- The 2016 vintage was the inaugural release of technical director Jaime Suárez, who calls it the apple of his eye.
- Extremely limited production of only 1,701 bottles from 19 micro-plots totaling just 1.39 hectares.

## Food pairing

This powerful, high-altitude Tempranillo demands rich, savory dishes with high protein and fat content to soften its robust, fine-grained tannins. The wine's vibrant acidity cuts through rich meats like lamb or duck, while its complex earthy and balsamic notes beautifully complement wild mushrooms, truffles, and aged cheeses.

## Wine making process

The grapes are hand-harvested with rigorous double selection at both the cluster and individual berry levels. Fermentation is carried out using indigenous yeasts in open 1,000-liter stainless steel vats, accompanied by gentle, manual punching down (pigeage) to extract fine tannins. Malolactic fermentation takes place in stainless steel. The wine is then aged for 5 months on its lees in 600-liter used French oak barrels, preserving the pure, high-altitude character of the old-vine fruit while adding subtle structural complexity.