2011 Monte Hiniesta, Toro
Good fresh nose of spices, tobacco, ripe cherries and leather. The taste is light to start, with a relatively heavy finish on the back of the palate of cigars, smoke, meat, licorice. What a nice surprise!
Grape is the famous native Tempranillo. Soil composed of high concentration of clay, sand, and stones, hence soft nose and strong palate. Elevation is 2360 feet(!), hence structured, elegant and fine palated. Vineyard practice is dry farming, organic(without certification thought). IMpressive vine age, that of 65 to 80 years Harvest date is September 20, hence abv level is rtelatively subdued. Fermentation requirements are: 15 days in small stainless steel tanks with with wild yeast. Aging requires 10 months in new French allier casks and 6 months in
the bottle. Residual Sugar is 1.4 grams per liter, hence really dry pallated. Alcohol at 13.5 %
The technicals and characters are well summarized by Parker, et. al. Scores are consistently high.
RP92. The 2011 Monte Hiniesta comes from six parcels of 65-year-old vines that are cultivated bio-dynamically. The wine is raised in new and second year French barrels. It has a gorgeous, vivacious, ravishing bouquet of wild strawberry, maraschino cherry and dark plum that is beautifully delineated. The palate is succulent on the entry with plush tannins, crisp acidity and a compact, fruit-driven finish that deserves another two years to unfurl. The aftertaste is very long, with hints of spice and white pepper. This represents great value.
Vinous 91. Opaque ruby. Smoke-accented dark berries, cherry and licorice on the perfumed nose. Round and appealingly sweet, offering pliant blackberry and cherry-vanilla flavors and a bracing jolt of cracked pepper. The smoky quality recurs on a long, gently tannic finish that leaves a note of cherry compote behind.
