Vatan Tinta de Toro 2018
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
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James Suckling
Dried-berry and fig aromas with chocolate and walnuts, following through to a full body with lots of tannins and a chewy finish. Shows some freshness and agility for the appellation. This needs time to soften. Better after 2022.
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Wine Spectator
A thick and deeply hued red, high-toned and floral on the nose, with dense tannins holding sway today over tightly meshed notes of pureed blackberry, vanilla bean, toast and spice. Decanting or short-term cellaring will help.
Toro is a special region for Jorge and the rest of Jorge Ordóñez Selections, because it is the perhaps the region that best embodies the Ordóñez philosophy – producing wine from the oldest clones of Spain’s indigenous varieties. The local indigenous grape, Tinta de Toro, is Spain’s oldest and most original clone of Tempranillo. It produces the deepest, most intense expression of Tempranillo in Spain, and it is a grape with a noble history that should be heralded. Bodegas Ordóñez produces wine from ungrafted, head trained, and dry farmed vineyards of Tinta de Toro planted in 1900, 1916, 1946, and 1962.
Founded in 2004, Grupo Jorge Ordóñez is select group of eight wineries that produce wines from grapes grown in thirteen different denominations of origin across Spain. All of the wineries are owned and operated by Jorge Ordóñez. Nacho Alvarez is the Technical Director and Head Winemaker for the Grupo.
Notoriously food-friendly, long-lasting and Spain’s most widely planted grape, Tempranillo is the star variety of red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja terms Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva indicate both barrel and bottle time before release. Traditionally blended in Rioja with Garnacha, plus a bit of Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano, the Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero typically stands alone. Somm Secret—Tempranillo claims many different names depending on location. In Penedès, it is called Ull de Llebre and in Valdepeñas, goes by Cencibel. Known as Tinta Roriz in Portugal, Tempranillo plays an important role in Port wine.
Spain's remote, high elevation Spanish wine zone between the regions of Bierzo and Ribera del Duero produces intense, full-bodied reds made from Tempranillo, locally called Tinta de Toro. This local variant has adapted to the region’s climatic extremes and recognizing its potential, top producers from Ribera del Duero and Rioja have invested heavily in its vineyards.