# Malleolus (2019)

- **Producer:** Bodegas Emilio Moro
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Tempranillo
- **Region:** Castilla y León, Spain
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.5%
- **Average price:** €40
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 14–17 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, blackcurrant, blackberry, violet, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, smoke, leather, tobacco, cedar

## About this wine

Bodegas Emilio Moro is one of the most celebrated estates in Spain's Ribera del Duero region, located in the historic village of Pesquera de Duero. The winery's history is deeply intertwined with the Moro family, who have spent generations cultivating the native Tinto Fino clone, a local adaptation of Tempranillo. First released in 1998, Malleolus represented a revolutionary shift in the region. The Moro family decided to abandon the traditional Spanish classification system of Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. Instead, they chose to age the wine dynamically based on the unique requirements of each vintage, allowing the terroir of their old vineyards, known locally as majuelos, to speak for itself. The 2019 vintage benefited from a warm growing season with crucial late-season rains that allowed for exceptional concentration and perfect phenolic ripeness.

## Interesting facts

- The name 'Malleolus' comes from the Latin word for 'majuelo', which is the traditional local term for an old vineyard.
- Emilio Moro abandoned the classic Crianza/Reserva system with Malleolus, choosing to age the wine dynamically based on vintage quality.
- The wine is made from a proprietary Tinto Fino clone grafted from the family's historic 1932 Finca Resalso vineyard.

## Food pairing

This full-bodied, highly structured Tempranillo requires rich, protein-heavy dishes to soften its muscular tannins. The wine's vibrant acidity cuts through the fat of roasted meats like suckling pig and lamb, while its intense dark fruit and oak-derived spices complement the earthy, savory flavors of game and aged cheeses.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process for Malleolus is designed to respect the concentration of its old-vine fruit. Grapes are sourced from vines aged between 25 and 75 years, grown on high-altitude clay-loam and limestone soils. Following a meticulous harvest, the grapes undergo maceration on the skins for 18 days to extract deep color and structured tannins. Alcoholic fermentation is carried out in stainless steel tanks using native, proprietary yeasts isolated from the estate's own vineyards. After completing malolactic fermentation over 30 days, the wine is transferred to 100% French oak barrels, with a preference for larger 500-liter formats to ensure a balanced wood-to-oxygen ratio. The wine matures in these barrels for 18 months before bottling, resulting in a beautifully integrated structure.