Bodegas Pintia. Toro 2008

immediately aromatic and ripe, mixture of ripe red fruit, concentrated black fruit plus strong aromas of coffee and chocolate.  Full and spicy with good acids on the tongue.  The wine is big, but the acids keep the weight and richness under control.  There is a creaminess and length, plus a notably good use of oak - close to outstanding. EW

Vega Sicilia

The Vega Sicilia vineyards are located in Valbuena de Duero, in the province of Valladolid, on an estate made up of a fertile plain that follows the course of the river. The vineyard was first planted in the 1860s by Señor Lecanda who introduced Bordelais grape varieties to the region along with the local Tinto Fino (Tempranillo). Since 1983 Vega Sicilia has been owned by the Alvarez family. The estate has 250 hectares of vineyards, comprising 80% Tinto Fino and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. The soils are clay-limestone and alluvial. Yields are strictly limited to 22 hl/ha which equates to just 2 kilos of grapes per vine.

Three styles of wine are made: good cuvées are bottled as Valbuena and released on to the market after 5 years - typically one year in large wood casks, 3 years in barrel and a year in bottle. Valbuena tends to include a larger proportion of Merlot in the blend than the even more structured Unico. The finest cuvées are aged first in large wood casks and then for many years in small barrels until judged ready for bottling. These wines are designated ‘Unico’ and are only released following a minimum maturation period of 10 years in a combination of barrel and bottle. Some barrels of the very finest vintages are kept back and much later on are blended together for inclusion in the Reserva Especial.

Bodegas Alión was founded nearly 15 years ago by the owners of Vega Sicilia. Right from the outset, their aims were radically different here: rather than adhere to the traditional approach to winemaking seen at Vega Sicilia, the wines would be made in a modern style. The vines are mostly planted on hillsides of 4 different villages or varied terroirs and at an altitude of 800m. With all the latest winemaking techniques employed, Alión is pure Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and is matured in new French oak for 15 months. The result is powerful, expressive and distinctive.

Pintia owned by Vega Sicilia who was one of the first to see the potential of the Toro region, an arid upland area to the west of Ribera towards the Portugese border. The vines are on average 35 years old and ungrafted (there is no phylloxera in Toro) and come from two plots of vineyards. 2001 was the first commercial release. Made from 100% Tempranillo (known locally as Tinta de Toro), Pintia is given more than a year in 70% French and 30% American oak and then matured in bottle for 2 years before release.