Winemaker Notes
Dense purple in color, the Teso la Monja Victorino presents in the nose a great concentration of aromas of black fruit with brandy, spices and mineral nuances. On the palate it is well structured, powerful, very expressive, creamy, rich and aromatic with smooth tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I tasted two vintages of the cuvée called Victorino, including the 2018 Victorino, a year with fewer bunches of larger grapes that resulted in very balanced wines, wines with good structure, ripe tannins and deep color. This was selected from ungrafted Tinta de Toro vines that fermented destemmed with their own selection of yeasts and matured in new French oak barrels for 20 months. This is a little lighter and has hints of blue flowers, a more vibrant palate and grainier tannins. 2018 and 2019 are very different years, and the 2018s are more fluid but also have more nerve and are likely to develop for a longer time in bottle. This has the advantage of one more year in bottle, which has helped to integrate the oak.
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Vinous
Opaque violet. Expressive aromas of cherry liqueur, blackberry, vanilla, baking spices and dark chocolate, plus a smoky mineral flourish that adds vivacity. Sweet, chewy and focused on the palate, offering intense black and blue fruit and licorice flavors and suggestions of candied violet, cola and mocha. Finishes with mounting tannins and strong persistence, leaving sappy blueberry and bitter chocolate notes behind. 100% new French oak.
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Wine Spectator
Cherry and cranberry flavors are bright and fresh in this red, energized by a citrusy acidity. At the same time, the thick texture and firm tannins give it a solid foundation. Has energy and depth.
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.
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.