A 100% Tintilla de Rota dry red wine by Bodegas Luis Perez (and the big brother of the Garum and Samaruco, both of which I also enjoyed).
Tintilla is one of the traditional grapes from the region that until recently had all but disappeared but is now making a strong comeback. It is said to be an Andalucian cousin of Graciano, but while I am not that familiar with Graciano whenever I have come across Tintilla in dry wines it has reminded me of shiraz/syrah (indeed once I tried an unoaked Tintilla blind and thought it was a shiraz).
This is from vines planted on one of the great pagos of Jerez, Balbaina, and specifically from a vineyard named Calderin del Obispo (one of the two “Calderin” on this plan I guess) and has had 16 months in oak.
The resulting wine is a refined, elegant but tasty animal. It has the mineral quality – salinity even – of the other wines, but also beefy, peppery aromas (in the interest of full disclosure I was roasting a joint of beef as we drank this, so my mind may have one tracked a little). On the palate if has very refined blackberry fruit – maybe just a hint of bitterness – and again that salt and pepper and meatiness on the palate, a nice texture with a nice touch of acidity and a lovely fresh finish.
Like this very much – and it was brilliant with that beef too.
undertheflor.com 
I’ve had a few straight Gracianos and on the whole I’ve found excellent colour, quite acid wines sometimes with a very marked peppery taste. In fact one reminded me of that white pepper sauce you sometimes get with beef – so very much in line with your comments. I suppose if Tintilla is related to Graciano, then growing it down in Andalucía is likely to result in lower acidity with respect to those you can find in Rioja.
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Interesting stuff, thanks. I have been very impressed by some of the Tintillas that are emerging – particularly this one.
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