2020 Vinateros Santos Tempranillo "El Torito", Castilla y León, Spain

ABOUT THIS WINE

100% Tinta de Toro aka Tempranillo. Vineyard “El Tomillar” (which means the field of thyme in Spanish), is located en El Pego village, in the southeastern part of Zamora province. El Pego is close to other provinces of Castilla y Leon, such as Salamanca and Valladolid (the star players of DO Ribera del Duero). The area receives strong influence from the continental climate. The majority of the grapes for El Torito are grown on sandy, calcareous stone soils, and there are many old vines in this area, owing to this special sandy soil which prevented Phylloxera from spreading and reaching the vine roots. El Tomillar is 16 ha but the winemaker selects grapes from the best parts of the vineyards- those with more altitude and rockier soils- for El Torito.

The vineyard was planted in the 1970s, but when the winemaker speaks about the vines, he says “they are still young’! Goblet training and the plot is oriented south. Altitude is 720m above sea level. Winemaking: grapes are hand-picked and vinified 100% whole clusters that are initially are crushed by foot. Fermentation in stainless steel with natural yeast with temperature control (16-23dC). Aged in 2000 liter neutral oak casks for three months. During the winter, the wine rests and decants naturally. The winemaker doesn’t use chemical substances in vineyards or in the cellar, except a tiny dose of SO2 (approx. 40 ppm) to guarantee the wine arrives safely to the table.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

The Viñateros Santos wines are inspired by a shared passion for the wines of Zamora, a province located near the Toro DO. Drawing from her network built over two decades of living in Spain, Mayu Miller from Viña Franca works with talented winemakers to produce and bottle exclusive blends under the Viñateros Santos label. These special wines would normally be sold off to négociants or blended into larger cuvées. Even the label is a collaboration: the artwork is done by a friend of Eric at Coeur Wine (NYC), artist Liliana Velsasquez.

Viñoteros Santos wines are focused on cool-climate sites, complex soils, and old vineyards. That directed us towards the Castilla y Leon region, situated in the northwest of Spain. Castilla y Leon is located between Galicia, the Basque Country, and Madrid. The landscape is dominated by deep green woods, high mountains, and soils rich in minerals. The area suffered from huge migration after the Spanish civil war. People left old rural villages in search of well-paying jobs, and traded in their rural living for life in big cities. As a result, many of the vineyards were not hit by the “standardization” replanting to international varieties, which was common in the 1980’s, and instead, have been cared for by hand by the old locals.

For Viñateros Santos, we chose a handful of wines from the rocky hills of Zamora province, specifically near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Douro river. Tinta de Toro is the most famous grape variety in Zamora, but as it’s near Portugal, there are many old vineyards that have field blends of indigenous grapes, such as Bastardo, Merenzao, and beyond. All of the vineyards are looked after with organic farming and follow biodynamic principles. We are proud to offer these unique wines.