| Type | Red wine |
|---|---|
| Region | |
| Grapes | |
| Producer | |
| Allergens | Contains sulfites |
| Alcohol contenti | 15.0% |
Spec sheet
The wine
El Viejo is the oldest and most complex expression in the Matsu range — the third chapter in a story the winery tells across three wines: El Pícaro (youth), El Recio (maturity) and El Viejo (old age). It comes entirely from vines planted over a century ago, farmed for an extremely small yield, and captures what the winery calls the "extreme complexity that only centenary vineyards provide." Aged 16 months in new French oak, it's a mature, intense Toro red with well-integrated spice and toast — the kind of bottle with a story worth telling at the table, not just a label to pour.
What does this wine taste like?
View: Deep cherry red / Violet edge
Bouquet: Ripe black fruit / Toasted oak / Spice
Mouth: Smooth / Voluptuous / Concentrated
Drinking and storing
Serve at 16°C. Give it 20-30 minutes to open in the glass, or decant if you're planning ahead — the oak and fruit knit together the longer it breathes. A structured red like this also rewards a few years in the cellar if you'd rather wait.
16ºC
Food pairing
Built for red meat: think roast lamb, game, or a well-marbled steak. The oak and spice also stand up to hard, aged cheeses like Manchego curado. Not a wine for a quick weeknight glass — save it for when there's something on the plate worth matching it to.
Ratings and awards
| 2016 | 92 PN | |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 94 PK |
PK: ParkerPN: Peñín
Customer reviews
Winemaking
100% Tinta de Toro, entirely from vines over 100 years old. Yields are extremely limited by design — old vines naturally produce less, smaller, more concentrated fruit, and Matsu doesn't push them for more. The wine is then aged 16 months in new French oak barrels, which is where the toast and spice notes come from. 15% ABV, contains sulfites.
| Vinification material | Wood |
|---|---|
| Ageing period | 16 months |
| Type of wood | French oak |
Vineyards
The fruit comes from centenary vineyards in the Toro DO, on sandy soils with a high proportion of granitic stone — a combination that stresses the vines just enough to concentrate flavour without needing much cellar intervention. Toro's continental climate (hot, dry summers and cold nights) is what gives Tinta de Toro its trademark depth and structure, and these century-old vines are some of the most extreme expressions of it in the appellation.
The winery
Matsu
Matsu is more than just an ordinary winery or wine, it is a contemporary project of sustainable viticulture that brings together an exclusive collection of high expression wines. Matsu means 'to wait' in Japanese and provides the perfect definition of an initiative that combines the Oriental culture's concern for what is natural with the most advanced techniques in biodynamic agriculture employed in European farming. All their wines are organic; the vines are grown in a...
