Victorino 2021

Victorino is an iconic wine, one of those that breaks the mould and draws new horizons for Spanish wine. In present times, producing an elegant wine is no easy feat; there are some powerful wines around, but how many powerful as well as elegant wines spring to mind? That's exactly where Victorino scores most highly, on balance; it has it all: plenty of powerfulness, yes, but a huge amount of elegance too. The grapes used in its production originate from 35 hectares of ungrafted vineyards which are between 70 and 100 years old, cultivated under the precepts of organic agriculture in the towns of Toro, Villabuena del Puente and Valdefinjas. In their sandy soils, impenetrable for phylloxera, there's a mix of both gravel and pebbles offering excellent drainage; in the subsoil it's the clay, combined with some seams of limestone, that takes care of the water reserves. Once harvested, the fruit is taken to the winery to be destalked and pressed. Fermentation takes place by means of yeasts picked up from the actual vineyard and the post-fermentation maceration lasts for about 20 days, aiming for a substantial extraction. The wine undergoes not only malolactic fermentation but also subsequent ageing in new French oak barrels, whose spicy aromas are elegantly incorporated. Behind the cork of every bottle of Victorino surges black fruit, mature and concentrated, as befits a great Zamora red. Its palate is generous and profound, rugged and juicy at the same time, having fine-grained tannins with a coating of jam and liquorice. It conveys an earthy sensation, of graphite and sand, along with an intense fruitiness that brings to mind cherries and very ripe black plums. The woody and spicy balsamic hints are obvious, but always come through from behind the omnipresent fruit. A vibrant acidity successfully keeps the whole ensemble alive and catapults it to levels of excitement reserved only for the most select of wines.