Bodegas Barahonda Barrica 2023, Yecla DO, Organic

Barahonda Barrica comes from Bodegas Barahonda, the Candela family winery in Yecla, in the high country of northern Murcia. It is a blend of around 75% Monastrell and 25% Syrah from the family’s own vineyards in the Campo Abajo district, at around 500 metres, where the soils are sandy and clay, low in organic matter and well drained. The Monastrell vines are over 60 years old, head-pruned and dry-farmed, giving only about 2 kg of fruit per vine. Each variety is picked by hand and vinified separately, with malolactic fermentation in stainless steel, then aged for six months in French oak barrels before blending, followed by a further six months in bottle before release.

In the glass it is a deep ruby. The nose shows ripe black and blue fruit, with notes of cola, vanilla and potpourri. The palate is smooth and generous on entry, with bitter cherry, blueberry, vanilla and spice-cake flavours, a smoky nuance that develops with air, and a long, gently tannic finish.

Serve at around 16–18°C. It is excellent with grilled and roasted red meats, lamb, pork tenderloin or chops, veal, tandoori chicken and hearty bean or rice dishes. It is ready to enjoy now and over the next few years.

Bodegas Barahonda is run by the Candela family, who have made wine in Yecla, in the north of Murcia, since at least the mid-19th century. Antonio Candela García founded the family bodega in 1925, and the business passed from Antonio Candela Poveda to his sons Antonio and Alfredo, the fourth generation, who run it today with winemakers Araceli González and Agustín Carrión. The modern Barahonda winery was built in 2006, surrounded by vineyards, some of them nearly a century old. The family owns around 150 hectares of vines in two contrasting zones: Campo Arriba, at 700–800 metres on limestone-rich soils, and Campo Abajo, at 400–500 metres on soils with more clay. Monastrell is the family’s great focus, and the vineyards are dry-farmed for low yields using organic methods.