Almirez 2012, Toro

This is a good wine from Toro, the powerhouse for making modern Spanish Tempranillo, showing bold and intense cherry fruit, aromas of kirsch and ripe blueberries, rubbery and coffee tones. On the palate, it gives brooding dark fruit in the form lavender/blackcurrant pastille with minerality and dark chocolates. It is luscious in body with high, elegant French oak. One taster says that its spectrum of taste falls somewhere between a Syrah and a structured Washington Bordeaux blend. Very much wine for Continental dishes.

The USP of this wine is evident. High Parker score, prominent oak, lush palate, and inky, intense fruit, luxurious finish, and excellent price point. A great example of wine from Toro!

The grapes are sourced from older vines in this hotter climate, which gives the fruit concentration and richness, aligning well with the generous use of French oak(30% new; 14 months in oak).

93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2012 Almirez (a 1,000-case cuvée of 100% Tinta de Toro) was aged 14 months in French oak. This sensational wine comes from vines planted between 1949 and 1999. Yields were a conservative 1.8 tons of fruit per acre. An inky/purple color is followed by aromas of camphor, ground pepper, blackberries and cassis. This full-bodied, Northern Rhône Valley-like Spanish red exhibits meaty/lard notes, terrific density and purity, and a finish that lasts nearly 40 seconds. It should drink nicely for a decade or more. This large estate in Toro is owned by the Eguren family, who also owns the Dominio de Eguren winery. These two value-priced cuvées, primarily fashioned from old vines planted between 1880 and 1999, are from head-pruned vines. They represent impressive quality. (RP) (11/2014)