Winemaker Notes
The Ordóñez family produces Vatan Tinta de Toro from estate vineyards of 125 year old ungrafted Tempranillo – the wine displays rich aromas of ripe red fruit, bittersweet dark chocolate, graphite, and mineral.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 was skipped, so jump on the 2023 Vatan, as good as the 2021, with grip, concentration, and firm tannins. Salty and savory in dark fruit, ferrous complexity, and integrated oak, it’s a full-bodied, rich wine with sweet tannins from one vineyard, Finca los Quemaos, planted in 1900 on original rootstock.
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Vinous
The 2023 Tinta de Toro is sourced from the Los Quemados vineyard in Toro. Fermentation finishes in barrel, where the wine then ages for up to 20 months. Oak remains prominent today, framing aromas of dark fruit, raspberry, violet and blackberry. Broad and enveloping on the palate, it delivers juicy fruit and satisfying flavor. Still very young, with further complexity likely to emerge over time.
Verdejo is one of Spain’s most historic white grapes, as it has been in production since the Roman times, several thousand years ago. After over fifteen years as the lead producer of quality Verdejo in Spain, Ordóñez chose Puras, Valladolid, as the best appellation within Rueda for growing Verdejo. This isolated corner of the D.O. is home to sandy soils intermixed with river stones that were deposited tens of thousands of years ago when the Duero river was several hundred miles wide. Due to the sandy soils, this sub-appellation of Rueda, shaped like Italy’s boot, resisted the phylloxera. Bodegas Ordóñez takes advantage of this unique terroir to produce wine from its ungrafted vineyards, the oldest of which was planted in 1885. Jorge’s philosophy is to age all of their wines sur lie and barrel fermented in both stainless steel and large format, mostly used French oak.
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.