La Mula de la Quietud 2020

A Tempranillo of great density that never puts its power on display. Fruit, tannin, acidity and ethereal freshness interlock seamlessly, while the wine remains calm and self-assured throughout. Despite its 15.0% ABV, it feels approachable and thoroughly enjoyable to drink.

Quinta de la Quietud sits at 700 metres of altitude, two kilometres south of the Duero. The soils contain 55 to 85 percent sand and were therefore never affected by phylloxera, leaving the vines ungrafted and growing on their own roots. The continental climate swings between -11 °C and +37 °C, with 350 mm of annual rainfall. No irrigation is used, and yields range from 20 to 40 hl/ha.

Tinta de Toro, the indigenous expression of Tempranillo, grows on small goblet-trained vines; La Mula comes exclusively from the estate's oldest plots, dating back to the 1900s. The estate has farmed organically since 2002, with horses ploughing between the rows. Jean-François Hébrard ferments spontaneously with native yeasts in open stainless steel tanks under controlled temperature and without any added sulphur, after which the wine ages for 30 months in new French oak.

The nose offers sweet cherry, elderberry, blackberry and morello cherry, alongside beetroot, coffee, dark chocolate, liquorice as well as coconut, vanilla, eucalyptus and pine needles. The tannin melts away, neither bitter nor angular, releasing the warm fruit in layers. The finish lingers for minutes, carried by umami and a floating freshness.

Braised ox cheeks, rack of lamb with rosemary, robust wild boar goulash or aged Manchego.

Over a century old, ungrafted bush vines on sand, spontaneous fermentation without added sulphur: La Mula is regarded as the estate's cult wine.