Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From Spain's most historic region for Tempranillo, having been first planted in the 14th century, the 2012 Triton Tinta de Toro is 100% Tinta de Toro (the local name for Tempranillo) planted at a 2,400 foot elevation. These moderately old parcels, planted in 1956 and 1963, have yielded .81 tons of fruit per acre, which is virtually nothing. Aged 18 months in 1- to 3-year-old Burgundy and Bordeaux barrels, this outstanding 2012 boasts a deep purple color along with notes of charcoal, graphite, blueberries and blackberries, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, a voluptuous texture, and a seductive style. It can be drunk early in life or cellared for 5-7 years.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.