Winemaker Notes
The Eguren family of Teso la Monja are one of D.O. Toro's most important pioneers, having cofounded Bodega Numanthia-Termes with Jorge Ordóñez in 1997. Numanthia was the first exhaustive fine wine project to resuscitate Toro since phylloxera. Tempranillo originated in the Duero Valley, and many ampelographers believe that it originated in Toro, where it is known as Tinta de Toro. These ancient clones of Tempranillo were responsible for Toro being celebrated as Spain's finest winemaking region during the Middle Ages. Toro was also Spain's only region to completely resist phylloxera due to its sandy soils. Teso la Monja is the Eguren family's new interpretation of Toro, where they sought to produce a more refined and restrained expression of Toro.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lastly, the 2021 Alabaster pushes on the price and is 100% Tinta de Toro coming from three separate sites of very old vines. It's easily the biggest wine in the lineup, yet as with everything here, it stays light on its feet and balanced. Beautiful black fruits, cassis, jammy cherries, classy oak, graphite, lead pencil, and tobacco are just some of its nuances, and this rich, full-bodied, concentrated wine stays flawlessly balanced, has silky tannins, and a great finish.
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James Suckling
Deep and rich but fresh nose with lots of depth and complexity. Mexican chocolate, espresso, blackberries and a touch of tar. Broad and full-bodied. Fresh and structured, but also fine-veined an svelte.
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Vinous
The 2021 Alabaster is sourced from 130-year-old pre-phylloxera vines in Toro and aged in barrels. It's a garnet hue with a blueish sheen. Its nose boasts ripe black fruits, including plums and blackberries, with undergrowth, herb and smoked cedar hints. Ample and bold on the palate, the fine-grained tannins and supple texture lead to a long-lasting finish. A rare and pure Toro red, it offers a concentrated yet weightless mouthfeel.
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Wine Spectator
Boysenberry coulis, blackberry paste, melted licorice and espresso notes are expressive in this rich, concentrated red, which is enmeshed with firm tannins and a plush texture. Long and focused, with spice box, violet, graphite and mineral accents playing on the finish. Drink now through 2034.
Teso La Monja was founded in 2007 by Marcos and Miguel Angel Eguren, the fourth winemaking generation of the Eguren family from San Vicente de la Sonsierra in Rioja Alavesa. As they have been growing Tempranillo in Rioja Alavesa since the late 1800’s, the Eguren family fell in love with D.O. Toro when they first travelled there with Jorge Ordóñez, seduced by the region’s original clone of Tempranillo and ungrafted vines.
Jorge Ordóñez and the Eguren family were the original founders of Bodegas Numanthia, which was responsible, along with their current work, for the resurrection of D.O. Toro as one of Spain’s preeminent wine regions. After the sale of Numanthia in 2007, the Eguren family founded Teso La Monja as a new challenge for the family – finding the elegance in the wines of Toro.
The family selected vineyards in the northernmost part of D.O. Toro that have a much higher proportion of rounded stones than what is typical. This produces extremely silky, elegant wines. The winemaker, Marcos Eguren, is considered by many to be the finest winemaker in Spain. His son, Eduardo Eguren, the fifth generation, also works as the winemaker at Teso La Monja.
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.