Vega Sicilia Pintia Toro 2018 (RP95)
Tasting
Nose : The nose mingles fruity (ripe plum, black cherry, elderberry) scents with notes of Criollo chocolate, vanilla, sweet spices and leather.
Palate : The palate is powerful and enticing with its freshness and minerality.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
James Suckling - "Brooding but fresh nose, with tarry blackberries and fresh blue fruit. Iron, wet stones, violets and a hint of mocha, too. Full-bodied, mineral and broad on the palate with a stony feel, though not heavy at all. A really elegant, nuanced and extremely poised Pintia that you can enjoy now and for the next decade. A really eclectic Pintia showing more elegance and calculation."
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "The 2018 Pintia comes from a cooler and wetter vintage when the grapes were picked between September 20th and October 7th, and it fermented in their new fermentation room where they feel they can be more precise. The wine still has 15% alcohol, with a pH of 3.82 and 4.6 grams of acidity. It had a shorter élevage this year and matured for 10 months in French and 18% American oak barrels, 81% of them new. The nose is very expressive, with bright cherry fruit, and the wine is fresher than the norm in the region, with integrated alcohol and oak, reflecting a very cool year, floral and perfumed. The palate is medium-bodied and reveals very fine and elegant tannins. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Pintia. Rating: 95+"
Wine Spectator - "A smooth, creamy red, medium- to full-bodied, though understated at first. Features flavors of mulled cherry, black plum reduction, cocoa powder and tar-tinged smoke that are seamlessly knit with fine-grained tannins, expanding slowly on a palate carried by balsamico acidity. Long, fragrant finish."
Description
The delicate combination of freshness and complexity of a Toro wine The property
Since its acquisition by the Álvares family in 1982, Vega Sicilia has continued to grow and establish its international reputation. Today, a continual pursuit of excellence, harmony with nature, hard work and unfailing commitment make this Spanish estate a prestigious name. Over the years, other wineries like Pintia have come to embrace and enhance the Vega Sicilia philosophy. Thus, the extreme care taken in the vineyards as well as in the vinification process is the sign of great Spanish wines from unique lands.
The wine
Bodega Pintia joined the Vega Sicilia estate in 1997, after a long process of replanting the vineyard and modernising infrastructure.
Vega Sicilia's Pintia explores the terroirs of Toro, an area with a long winemaking tradition near the Douro River. The vineyard is divided into several plots planted on a surface of 96 hectares, at an altitude of 700 metres on soils composed of clay, quartz and pebbles.
The continental climate is extreme, with hot, arid summers followed by very cold winters. These conditions are beneficial to an exceptional grape health and an exceptional sanitary state and great taste quality of the grapes.
The vines, which are about 33 years old, are cultivated with the greatest care and attention. This 2018 vintage is made from grapes from the San Román de Hornija and Pedrosa del Rey plots.
