A Loire vigneron gone rogue in the high country of Ribera del Duero. Bertrand Sourdais, a Frenchman from Chinon, put down roots in Soria, the cold, nearly 1,000-meter eastern edge of the appellation where gnarled old vines survive that most of Spain forgot. La Hormiga (“the ant”) comes from iron-rich red clay on the Duero’s right bank, farmed organically and aged in French oak barrels (about ten months for the 2021; recent vintages 15-18 months in 225L French barrels with 30-63% new oak). It’s Tinto Fino, the local Tempranillo, with altitude in its bones: fresh, high-toned, and mineral where you’d expect brawn.