Capuchina Vieja Petit Verdot 2023

Moving to Málaga has meant a lot of catching up — working through bottles from the regions I knew well before: Ribera del Duero, Toro, Bierzo. But the more time I spend here, the more I find myself drawn to what’s on the doorstep.

Most people outside Andalusia think of Málaga and picture sweet wines. Understandable, but incomplete. The Sierras de Málaga DO, and Ronda in particular, is home to serious red wine producers working with a remarkably broad range of varieties — many of them international, planted at altitude where the climate rewards them with structure and freshness you wouldn’t expect this far south.

What caught my attention on a visit to Ronda over Christmas was how many producers are working with Petit Verdot as a single varietal. It’s not a grape I’d paid much attention to until a trip to Mendoza, where an Altocedro Finca Los Galos 2021 from Valle de Uco stopped me in my tracks — unexpectedly elegant for a variety more often used to add muscle to Bordeaux blends. That experience made me curious what Ronda’s high-altitude terroir would do with the same grape.

The Capuchina Vieja Petit Verdot 2023 was the recommendation, and it delivered. Dark and concentrated — black cherry, blackberry, prune — with secondary notes of dark chocolate, coffee, black olive, cinnamon and a whisper of smoke. The full-bodied weight and firm tannins you’d expect from the variety are there, but balanced by a flavour profile with enough depth to carry them, and a line of acidity that keeps things from feeling heavy. At 13%, the alcohol is notably restrained for the variety — a quiet reminder of what Ronda’s altitude does for ripeness. Nothing here feels hot or heavy. The finish is persistent without overstaying its welcome. It held up well the following day too — always a good sign.

For the price, it’s excellent value, and it’s left me wanting to explore more of what Ronda’s Petit Verdot producers are doing.