Ana Carazo is one of Ribera del Duero’s most exciting, up-and-coming young producers.

When you meet her you can’t help but be taken in by her infectious energy and absolute passion for what she does.

And where Ana makes wine, you need these qualities in spades.

La Loba means The Wolf in Spanish. This was Ana’s grandmother’s nickname, and on the label you’ll see her sitting outside the door of her house in the village.

Ana sources the grapes from tiny vineyard plots around this village, Matanza de Soria. They are all 100+ years old, on a variety of aspects and soils, and farmed organically.

Ana manages 90 to 100 of these tiny plots separately - and combines them to make this wine. It’s painstaking, nonsensical work… but inspiring, especially when you taste her wine.

She employs a very hands-off winemaking style - she wants the fruit to do the talking. ‘La Loba always speaks’ she tells me.

It’s a dark Tempranillo - full of fresh black fruit, violets and an inky-graphite streak. On the palate it’s smooth, rich and lifted, with great structure and length.

This is an intensely personal project for Ana, and she pours her heart and passion into every single bottle.