Spain is one of the world’s important wine growing countries and has a number of wine growing regions. The best known regions are Priorat, near the Mediterranean Coast and known for Garnacha, the Spanish term for Grenache and in the North are Rioja and Ribera del Duero, known for Tempranillo. These better-known regions have earned their reputations, and having been producing wines that have captured the praises of the wine press for decades. But there is a newcomer on the scene that is just starting to gather attention and that is the region of Toro.
Toro sits in the Northwestern part of Spain, in the Castilla y Leon region, west of its more famous neighbour, the Ribera del Duero. Toro is red wine country and Tempranillo is the dominant variety there. The word Toro is Spanish for bull, and fits well with the powerful character of the region’s wine. The clone planted in this Dominacion de Origen (the Spanish equivalent of the French Appellation) is referred to as Tinta de Toro.
What makes Toro unique, and what puts the Toro signature on its wines, is its rather extreme climate. Winters are cold and harsh and summers can be extremely hot. Temperatures range from -11°c in winter to 37°c in summer. The Duero River runs through the region and provides much of the water needed in the vineyards. Sitting at higher elevations (620 – 750 metres above sea level) it is a windswept plateau with vineyards covered in large round puddingstones, similar to the famous galets of Chateauneuf du Pape or the cobblestones of the up-and-coming Rocks Region just south of Walla Walla along the Washington/Oregon border. Soils are lime-based sands with coarse grains that provide good drainage. This inhospitable land and climate makes the vines struggle to get out of the ground. That struggle produces small berries with robust, concentrated flavours and firm tannins, being the most notable aspects of the region’s signature.
Though Toro first began producing wines before the end of the 1st century BC, it is only in the last 20 years or so that the quality revolution has been in effect and noticed by the greater wine establishment. Vega Sicilia, certainly among Spain’s most lauded, famous and expensive wineries, brought attention to the region in 1996 when they opened a winery there called Pintia. Pintia has gone on to receive considerable praise in the wine press. In 1998 the Eguren family founded Numanthia, which quickly attained cult status and the winery was sold to luxury brands owner LVMH (of Krug, Dom Perignon and d’Yquem fame, among others). Bordeaux heavyweights Jacques and Pierre Lurton in association with Michel Rolland launched a winery in Toro and so has Rioja traditionalist Marques de Riscal, with the former winemaker at Vega Sicilia. The region’s bona fides are firmly in place.
Also sitting at the top of the Toro pyramid, is an unlikely cohort of these vinous A-listers, and that is Bodegas Liberalia. Liberalia is the creation of the highly individualistic Juan Antonio Fernandez who with the help of his daughter Beatriz and winemaker Silvia Garcia are crafting delicious wines from some of the oldest vines in the region. The Wine Advocate’s Neil Martin has said of Liberalia “It was clear that here is one of Toro’s top wineries, the wines imbued with balance, freshness and character. The use of oak is prudent and neatly interwoven”. Fernandez plays classical music in the barrel room as he believes that harmony helps the wine to relax as it ages. Liberalia makes a bevy of different wines, but at the very top of their roster is their Gran Reserva, called Liber.
Liberalia takes its name from the ancient festival which marks the passage of young male Romans into manhood. Liber was the God of wine and fertility. Liber, the wine, is only made in the greatest vintages. There was a Liber made in 2004 and the next vintage was 2009. Made from 100% Tinta de Toro and coming from vines that are up to 130 years of age, this wine is carefully crafted to stand in line with the best wines, not just of Spain, but in the world. The wine spent 30 months in new French oak barrels and spent two years ageing at the Bodega before being released. As the following tasting note will show, this wine is typical of the Toro region with its robust concentration, firm structure and ability to age for decades.
2004 Liberalia Liber Gran Reserva
Impossibly dark red for an 11 year old; could have been a barrel sample, but for the lightness at the rim. Wonderfully complex nose of dark fruits, vanilla, tobacco and earth. On the palate this wine shows its massive size; this is a huge, Mouton-like behemoth of a wine. The tannins are still very present but they are ripe and not at all raspy. Flavours of blackberry and raspberry dominate and are backed up with notes of Asian spices and hints of leafiness. Rich and mouth-filling with an long, long finish, this comes across as a young, almost unformed, Napa Cab or Washington Syrah. But this is in fact classically Toro, whose harsh climate produces bold fruit layered over firm structure. Bordering on over-the-top, it remains just in bounds but will no doubt become more tamed with a few more years in the cellar. This one is destined for the long haul, an easy decade or more. Absolutely delicious, but only for palates that can appreciate a bigger style!
Extraordinary available at BCLDB for $73.99 plus taxes ($85.10 tax included)
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