Finca la Mata, Ribera del Duero (Castilla y León, Spain) 2019

 Although there’s no doubt that Ribera del Duero is a magical place for growing Tempranillo (or, as it is known locally, Tinta del Pais), I still marvel at the fact that winemaker Isaac Fernandez manages to get this wine in to virtually perfect proportionality and balance every year.  Not most years — every year.  After vinification, this spent eight months in wood, but that seems mostly to have enabled it to mature thanks to oxygen contact rather than impart more than a whiff of overtly oaky notes.  As a result, the palate is broad and generous but still fresh with acidity, and the fruit is still primary in character, but with savory accents providing complexity from the margins.  No red wine drinker could fail to enjoy this, and though Pinot freaks may prefer something lighter and Cab fans something a bit more gutsy, this is so well situated in the middle of the red spectrum that you could pour it for anybody and know you’ll deepen your friendship.