| Type | Red wine |
|---|---|
| Region | |
| Grapes | |
| Producer | |
| Allergens | Contains sulfites |
| Alcohol contenti | 15.0% |
| Production | 800 bottles |
Spec sheet
The wine
Teso La Monja is a true reflection of the Eguren family’s love affair with the lands of Toro. It’s an invitation to enjoy the exceptional nature of the Tinta de Toro, and the very close relationship the vineyard has with its environment. It’s a wine born to become legendary, with the aspiration to transcend generations and leave a deeply lasting memory which will remain in times to come.
What does this wine taste like?
Teso La Monja combines intense hints of ripe black fruit and cherries in liquor, with lactic and toasty notes resulting from its oak ageing. After a recommendable decantation, the sweet spices of the oak tone down their impression, allowing a much more exotic nose to come forth, perfumed with blue flowers and balsamic touches of incense and liquorice. The grapes, of outstanding quality, seem better integrated with the tertiary aromas on each additional sip. The wine comes over as exuberant on the palate, with a considerable amount of body enveloped in fine-grained tannins. Chalk is apparent, bringing to mind the soil in the vineyard, encircled by a halo of cigar smoke. There’s no doubt Teso La Monja is a monumental wine, a concentrated and well-matured Toro, with a slightly warm and seemingly eternal finish.
Drinking and storing
It will continue to evolve and round off in in bottle for 15 years after its harvest date, even beyond that in the best vintage years. It will favour a lengthy oxygenation in a decanter with a very wide base and using a goblet-type glass that’s tall and large, which will allow the wine full and free expression.
16ºC
Food pairing
It needs substantial dishes, ideally those with red meat. Large game and beef prove great combinations, whether grilled, roasted or casseroled.
Ratings and awards
| 2017 | 95 PK |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 94 PK |
| 2013 | 95 PK |
| 2012 | 94 PK |
| 2011 | 94 PK |
PK: Parker
Wine critics reviewsReviews by Parker
Customer reviews
Winemaking
The bunches are harvested and destemmed manually by a team of around 60 people. Between 35% and 45% of the grapes are treaded in the traditional way. Fermentation takes place in an open oak vat for about 10 days and maceration lasts for 21 days. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in an egg-shaped oak vat called an OVUM, and ageing (24-26 months) in new French barrels that come from Bordeaux. The wine is released after the rest of the range and barely exceeds 800 bottles per annum.
| Vinification material | Wood |
|---|---|
| Ageing period | Between 24 and 26 months |
| Barrel age | New |
| Type of wood | French oak |
Vineyards
It originates from a 1.8-hectare plot planted with old vines in soils covered in pebbles and gravel. The vineyard contains a greater percentage of calcium carbonate (limestone) than the local average and the north winds are prevalent, making it cooler too. Yields are very low (500 kg/ha), but the slow development of the grapes assures perfect ripening.
| Soil | Gravel surface / Pebbles |
|---|---|
| Climate | Continental |
| Surface area | 1.80 hectares |
The winery
Teso La Monja
The Eguren family, originally from La Rioja, discovered Toro and has stayed with it, persuaded by the land’s potential and by the Tinta de Toro, a grape with great structure, able to convey the minerality of the soils but with a strong character that needs understanding and “taming”. Marcos Eguren understands it perfectly and proved this with the wines of his first project in the region, Numanthia Termes, powerful wines, always subtle and elegant. Teso La...
