Flor de Vetus

The entry-level red 2017 Flor de Vetus comes from the vines around the winery, mostly Tempranillo with a little Garnacha. It fermented in stainless steel and matured in oak barrels for nine months. It's easy to see the more rustic and earthier character of Toro if tasted next to their wines from Ribera del Duero (Finca Villacreces). The fruit is darker and there is more tannin, but there is good freshness and balance too, and it finishes very tasty, with an almost salty twist. I'd say this is a triumph over the conditions of the year, even if it was not as challenging in Toro as it was in Ribera. 116,758 bottles and 100 magnums. It was bottled in March 2019.

Tinta de Toro planted in clay soils yielding 4,000 kg/ha. Punching down during fermentation and nine months' ageing in French and American oak. It has a characterful nose, not refined but full of ripe black fruit, prunes and cinnamon. It is broad and dense, a bit austere on the palate, packed full of rough tannins. It is very characterful for a €10 wine. The wine is a regular in the lists of the best quality/price ratio wines in Spain despite the fact that the winery was just created in 2003.