Almirez

In Toro, 2022 was also a warm and dry year, and the wines have a little less alcohol and ripeness but not as much as in Rioja. In fact, Marcos Eguren told me he likes 2022 more in Toro than 2021. The 2022 Almirez has fruit and structure and is perfumed and aromatic, with notes of fennel and aniseed. It has a juicy, round and fleshy palate with tannins that are fine and more polished tannins than in the wines from Rioja, as the vineyards are more adapted to the warm and dry conditions. In 2022, they aged it in French oak barrels, 30% of them new, for 14 months. This is possibly the most structured of the range. 80,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2023

The 2020 Almirez comes from 41.7 hectares of vines ranging between 15 and 65 years of age. It fermented for 20 days, followed by malolactic in barrel and 14 months in French oak barrels, 30% of them new. The wine is quite approachable and has finesse; it's fine-boned, more fluid and refined than other years. The rains in August resulted in larger grapes with more juice, and the wine is quite approachable even at this young age. It's expressive, clean and powerful (the place is like that) and with 14.81% alcohol that goes unnoticed. It has abundant, fine-grained tannins and some creaminess and spiciness from the time in barrel, developing some mintiness with time in the glass; later, there's more licorice and even aniseed and fennel aromas. 88,800 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2022.

Deep crimson. Dark fruit – elderberry rather than cassis – and a touch of char and coffee. Dark and savoury on the palate, with a savoury quality to the oak overlay. Dry finesse even in youth. Too oaky for my taste but harmonious in its own style.