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A potent conception, made from 100% tinta de toro (aka tempranillo) old vines located on sandy soils with clay sub-soils. Plump, opulent and showing the typical intensity that comes with Toro’s continental climate, this needs time in a decanter to show its full range of aromas and flavours.
Product Code: SP13231
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The region of Toro in north-west Spain produces some of the country’s most powerful red wines. The Spanish word toro means 'bull', and while it is unclear precisely how the town's name came about, the bull is nonetheless a fitting symbol for robust red Toro wines. Here the extreme continental climate (hot, dry summers and cold, artic winters) results in tinta de toro grapes (the local name for tempranillo) that ripen with thick skins, intense flavours and high sugar levels. Convert this to wine and you have a style that rests its quality on deep colour, full-body, bold super-ripe flavours and relatively high alcohol. Sadly many of the wines from Toro display these features in excess but there are some exceptional and distinctive wines being made. One such is San Román, a property which is managed by the García family of Bodegas Mauro, who have also been influential in the winemaking history of famous Vega Sicilia in Ribera del Duero.San Román is a wine of great exuberance, minerality and structure. It is produced from vines with an average age of 90 years which naturally produce tiny yields. It spends over two years in French and American oak which accounts for its exotic flavour and sensuous texture.
The 2014 vintage in Spain has generally produced decent quality and good volume. In Rioja, however, conditions were challenging: after a cool spring, the summer was dry with warm temperatures, and Rioja looked set for an excellent harvest. But high rainfall and warm temperatures in September and October 2014 provided perfect conditions for fungal disease. Selection was therefore essential to make good wines. Some producers took decisive action: for example, Bodegas Muga invested in a new optical sorter which, though costly, meant only the healthiest grapes were included in the fermentation. 2014 is therefore a year to follow producers who were prepared to forego quantity for quality; these are the bodegas we shall follow. A clearer picture will evolve once the malolactic fermentation is completed.Ribera del Duero had a large 2014 harvest, in some cases 25% above average, so crop thinning was essential to produce good quality. Like Rioja it will be a vintage to follow producers who were prepared to make these sacrifices. Reports from Galicia are that the albariño vintage has proved quite tricky this year, with a reduced volume available. Late rains have affected the harvest and selection has been necessary in the vineyard; nevertheless they are pretty confident about quality. From Catalunya our key supplier, Tomàs Cusiné, is upbeat, especially about the whites, which combine flavour and freshness. In Priorat particularly, rain and hail caused worries about rot but good growers worked to overcome them and there is expectation that the reds will show lovely fruit and freshness and the ability to age well. Further south, drought in Jumilla (home to monastrell and where The Society's Southern Spanish Red comes from) reduced yields by 20% but this dry weather has meant grapes have ripened in perfect health.
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