Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There was some hail in Toro in 2020 that didn't affect the grapes too much for the 2020 Gago, sourced from the villages of Argujillo (later to ripen), Villabuena del Puente and Morales de Toro. It fermented in stainless steel and oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in foudre (80%) and barrique for 14 months. It's ripe without excess, classical Toro, with 14.5% alcohol and notes of licorice and black fruit, from a normal year. It feels a little fresher than the 2019, juicy, with fine tannins and good balance, powerful but balanced, still quite young. Rating: 92+
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.