La Zorra Original 2021

La Zorra Original combines the omnipresent Tempranillo variety with the originality of local Rufete grapes — a common variety in the Sierra de Salamanca area — whose wild freshness can transfer the intense mineral sensations of any soil into a glass. Rufete is perfectly adapted to these surroundings and takes on board the character of other local vegetation it is often planted alongside. Its fine skins and small compact bunches contrast with a marked personality and irreverent character. A low-yield variety, it is easily affected by excessive heat or mildew but, when it does well, it is capable of transporting us to the forest with just one sip, as can easily be confirmed when you try La Zorra Original. Starting with a bright Picota cherry red colour, La Zorra Original delights with sharp herbaceous hints of bramble leaves, raspberries and wild strawberries, alongside spicy strokes. A wonderfully-balanced wine in the mouth, it has a good level of acidity and sweet tannins. A wine both delicate and wild at the same time, with light touches of oak bringing elegant toasted flavours of sweet spices. Flavoursome and expressive, it is a unique and different wine whose transparency holds the purity of grapes from old vines and soils made up of slate, clay and granite. Local yeasts and low fermentation temperatures extract the very best from each grape. Ageing in French and American medium and lightly-toasted oak barrels tames the wildness of its fruit, while respecting its essence. With every glass of La Zorra Original we drink in forest and we breathe in pure clean air, remembering when vines were wild plants climbing around tree trunks to gain more sunlight for their growth. The fact is that every bottle of La Zorra Original hides something of this wild grape that we believe we have domesticated.