One of the region's pioneers of cold fermentation techniques and the use of stainless steel vats to maintain the freshness of his wines, the Valles make terrific wines at all ends of the spectrum.
This Merlot is fresh and straight-forward but has a good weight of plummy fruit and a lick of spice. It’s a versatile food wine, soft yet refreshing – one of the problems with Merlot at this level can be a lack of structure or less frequently underripe and subsequently manipulated fruit. Neither are present here, instead the wine offers damsons and plums, a little earthiness and some cedar but cleansing acidity, tannins and gentle alcohol.
A great Tuesday night supper bottle, easy lunch-time red, it would be quicker to list the things this wouldn't pair with rather than those which would.