La Planta from Bodegas Arzuaga is a superb introduction to the Ribera del Duero style. The wine has a beautiful aromatic intensity with bramble fruit, dark strawberry and black cherry fruit flavours along with a wonderful combination of herby and smoky/sweet spice notes on the finish. It is soft and mellow on the palate with wonderful freshness on the finish and lovely structure. Great value and perfect with red meats.

Bodegas Arzuaga was founded in the early 1990’s by Florentino Arzuaga when he purchased the La Planta estate, just east of Valladolid in the high-altitude region of Ribera del Duero. The estate itself consists of over 1400 hectares of land, of which, just over 200 are under vine. There is an abundance of olive trees and a bewildering array of wildlife, flora and fauna on the estate along with a superbly modern hotel, spa and restaurant. It’s pretty much the perfect holiday location!

The high-altitude vineyards sit at 950 meters above sea level which results in a unique climate through the growing season of hot days and cool, humid nights. This allows for a slow maturation process which leads to ripe grapes with retained acidity, perfect for making big yet fresh and elegant wines.