(2017) This handsomely packaged Ribera del Duero certainly looks like more than £7's worth. A 'Roble', so given only a short period in oak barrels, it is 100% Tempranillo made by Bodegas Portia, owned by Rioja's Faustino, who I
visited a few years ago at the opening of their stunning winery. Dark and saturated purple, there's a sheen of cocoa and mocha coffee to dark, glossy black fruit. On the palate a welterweight of black plum, damson and blueberry is bittersweet, with the ripe and creamy fruit set against a firm, spicy framework of tannin and cherry-skin acidity. Not shy on charry oak, but very impressive at this price I must say.