Bodegas Teso la Monja Almirez 75cl 2016

100% Tinta de Toro (= Tempranillo).

Almirez is een topwijn uit Toro

Nadat Vega de Toro, de producent van Numanthia en Termanthia, was overgenomen door Moët & Chandon, kochten de voormalige eigenaren van Vega de Toro mooie oude wijnpercelen en werd gestart met de productie van Almirez, Victorino en Alabaster.

De druiven voor deze 'Almirez' zijn afkomstig van 15 tot 65 jaar oude wijnstokken en worden handmatig geoogst in de tweede week van oktober. Na de vergisting rijpt de wijn 14 maanden op Frans eiken. 

Almirez heeft tonen van zwarte bessen, caramel, koffie, mineralen, tabak en eikenhout. De tannines zijn goed geïntegreerd en de afdronk is lang en vol.
Mooi op dronk, maar kan zich tenminste tot 2022 nog verder ontwikkelen. Uitstekende combinatie met ossehaas, wild, lamsvlees, pate, jamon en harde kazen.

The Wine Advocate:

"As with the entry-level Románico, I also had the opportunity to taste the 2016 Almirez right next to the 2015 to see how the growing season was reflected in each of the vintages. This also shows more freshness, following the style of the year, and it has a lifted nose and is high pitched, with very good balance and elegance within the powerful style. There is restraint within the powerful style of the zone and the house profile, with sweet fruit and spices, fine tannins and a dry mouthfeel. Even the oak feels better integrated than in the 2016, despite its youth and recent bottling. It was bottled in April 2018, some three weeks before I tasted it. 95,000 bottles."

Harvests in Toro are quite regular, and even if 2015 is a warm vintage, the wines show good finesse, which is what you need to aim for in a naturally powerful zone. 2016 is cooler, and according to Marcos Eguren, it's the only vintage (perhaps with 2010) where there is quality and quantity. The wines show good balance, and increasingly, the power is contained; they show less effect from the élevage in oak even though they are always concentrated and generously oaked wines, with a similar profile.

Luis Gutierrez, Aug 2018