Eguren in Toro

12-Nov-11 - I've mentioned the Eguren family before, and particularly winemaker Marcos Eguren whose most famous work has been done in Rioja, with modern classics such as Señorío de San Vicente, El Bosque, La Nieta and El Puntido. Indeed, in a blind tasting of Rioja last year for DECANTER magazine I gave three of his wines 19/20 and one 18/20. There is always, of course, the question of personal taste in a blind tasting (we always try to set our own prejudices aside) and I do admire his winemaking style: richness, power, warmth and concentration. Traditionalists hate it, of course. But in my own defence I should say that I gave only four wines (out of about 500) 20/20 in RIOJA REVISITED 2011 (available at Amazon.co.uk), and three of them were very traditional. The fourth was La Nieta.

Bodega Teso La Monja

Rioja is not the subject of this post, however. Marcos Eguren has moved into the DO Toro in Castilla y León (which seems to be everyone's favourite destination at the moment) with Bodega Teso La Monja. The grape throughout is the Tinta de Toro, which is, of course, a clone of Tempranillo, but it grows hotter, riper and with a thicker skin in Toro, giving wine of great structure and concentration. Marcos very kindly sent me samples of the latest vintage (2008) on the market:

 2008 Almirez - 14.5% abv - part malolactic plus 12 months in French oak - £18
Dark purple, hint of ruby at rim; warm, ripe black cherries on the nose, hint of caramel; bigbig fruit on the foretaste, musky tannins emerging on the mid, prominent but not dominant, dark, damson fruit on the finish. Needs another year or two but fab. 18>19/20

2008 Victorino - 14.5% abv - malolactic plus 16-18 months in new French oak - £30 (2007)
Very dark purple; big, dark, rich fruit, hint of leather, wax polish; amazingly soft fruit on foretaste, big structure, tannins and oak under control, fruit comes through on the finish. Fab. 18>19/20

 2008 Alabaster - ungrafted vines - 14.5% abv - malolactic plus 16-18 months in French oak - €125
Dark purple, hint of ruby at rim; heat and rich, rich fruit on the nose, hint of liquorice; bigbig powerful fruit on the foretaste, hints of tar and caramel on mid, some working tannins on the finish. This will be magnificent. 19>20/20

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