The black grape Tempranillo is considered by many to be Spain’s noble grape. It is used as the primary component in red Rioja, with Garnacha and a touch of Mazuelo or Graciano often added in. However, slightly south and to the west are the regions Ribera del Duero and Toro where you’re more likely to find it showcased on its own. Here, Tempranillo goes by Tinta del Pais (or Tinto Fino) and Tinta del Toro, and each can provide a slightly different expression of the varietal. We recently checked in a high scoring example of each from the fabulous 2009 vintage, and I was fortunate enough to sample both with brunch last weekend.
Bodegas y Vinedos J.A. Calvo Casajus is located basically in the heart of Ribera del Duero, near the small village of Quintana del Pidio of the Burgos province. The soil on this family estate is composed mostly of sand and stone, ideal for drainage and supplying the lower layers of soil with the moisture the deep vine roots planted over 50 years ago require. The temperature in the region also enjoys notable swings both seasonally as well as diurnally, essential in providing grapes that will create complex wines.
Their 2009 Antiguos Vinedos released a wonderful perfume of crushed wild raspberries, with notes of anise, eucalyptus and minerals. The wine was all about finesse on the palate and begged you to take another sip to explore. Neal Martin, who scored it 95 points in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, seemed to draw comparisons to Burgundy which I completely understood. Enjoyable on its own, it showed even better with my scrambled egg dish, playing with flavors of the steak, cheese, herbs and hot sauce. At $34.95, you can’t ask for much more…
…unless you prefer a more hedonistic style of wine. In that case, you need to pick up the 2009 Bodegas y Vinedos Maurodos San Roman. Located in the municipalities of San Roman de Villaester and Hornija, the Toro vineyard enjoys similar soil and temperature variables as the Ribera del Duero vineyard. However, the Tinto del Toro version of Tempranillo has smaller berries with thicker skins, and therefore is naturally lower-yielding than the Tinta del Pais. This is believed to help produce wine with deeper fruit flavors that can handle the use of oak better than most other regions.
The 2009 Maurodos San Roman is a prime example delivering flavors of blackberry compote and black cherry cola. Velvety mocha tannins finish with notes of licorice and spice. A wine that almost demands to be drunk on its own, I did enjoy the way it went toe to toe with the steak in my eggs and would love to pair it with ‘Beef Asturias’: pan seared tenderloin bathed in a blue cheese-white wine-paprika sauce. Either way, we have bottles and magnums of this 96 point trophy wine to enjoy for just $42.95 and $89.95, respectively.
Having been a buyer, collector and consumer of the legendary 2004 and 2001 Spanish vintages, I’m now extremely excited about purchasing some 2009s. Please let us know if you’d like to add these two excellent examples to your collection.