The 2019 Almirez was produced with grapes from their 41.7 hectares of vines that are 15 to 65 years old. The destemmed grapes were foot trodden and fermented with yeasts selected from their own vineyards for 18 days. Malolactic was in barrel, and the wine matured for 14 months in French oak barrels, 30% of them new and the rest second use. Despite the new oak, the wine is very fruit-driven and does not come through as oaky. It's floral, spicy and juicy, ripe without excess and with a velvety mouthfeel. This is approachable from early on, and even now, it has the silky tannins from 2019. It's less tannic than other vintages and has very good balance. There is more depth here, provided by the older vines, and there's more nuance too.
Drink 2021-2026 +. 92 Points"
Luis Gutierrez writing for Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
- Country: Spain
- Region: Castilla Y Leon
- Subregion: Toro
- Vintage: 2019
- Colour: Red
- Grape Variety: Tempranillo
- ABV: 14.5%
- Bottle Size: 75cl
- Closure: Natural cork
- Style: Starting to unwind
- Drink With: Slow cooked pork ribs
Teso La Monja Almiréz is made from old, ungrafted Tinta De Toro (Tempranillo) vines grown at an altitude of 2,300 feet. Almiréz spends 14 months in 30% new French oak. 2019 was a year of good ripeness and soft tannins which made a lovely fruity and smooth Almirez.
About the grower
Teso La Monja is the Eguren family's newest estate in the Toro region. Although based at Sierra Cantabria in La Rioja, the Eguren family fell in love with this land more than 15 years ago, seduced by the landscape, by its ancient vines and by the depth and complexity of its wines.
This is the second time that the Eguren family has invested in the Toro region. Marcos and Miguel Eguren founded Numanthia-Termes, their original Toro estate, in 1998, and then created Teso La Monja in 2007 after selling it to LVMH. Their love for Toro remained undimmed, but Teso La Monja was born with a different approach. The deep roots of its old vine Tinta De Toro (Tempranillo) vines translate the pure minerality of the soil into powerful yet elegant red wines.
The vineyards have an average age of 50 years old, but some are ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines that are around 130 years old. Planted on north-facing, loam and gravel soils, this allows for longer growing periods to achieve rich yet balanced wines which transmit the maximum potential of the soils’ minerality. The Egurens practice the same sustainable agriculture methods used by their predecessors to preserve the natural balance of the vineyard and they work according to the cycles and biorhythms of the vines.
The restrained and beautiful architecture of the Teso La Monja winery perfectly links a state-of-the-art vision of winemaking with the experience, heritage and know-how passed down from father to son.