Teso la Monja Alabaster 2010
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Alabaster was cropped even lower than the 2011 at seven hectoliters per hectare and later on October 9 and 10. The bouquet is tightly wound at the moment, with lifted black cherries, blueberry and a scent of cold stone, though there is some oak to be absorbed. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, supple tannins, crisp acidity and a fine sense of symmetry towards the persistent finish, with white pepper enlivening the aftertaste. This is another great wine from Teso La Monja Drink 2016-2028.
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Wine Enthusiast
Pure blackberry, cola, licorice and vanilla aromas form the base of an alluring, impressive bouquet. A layered, tannic palate is next up, followed by complex flavors of toast, mocha, black fruit, licorice and pepper. Density and firm tannins drive the finish, which tastes like bitter chocolate and espresso. This powerful Toro will be at its best from 2015–2020. Cellar Selection.
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Wine Spectator
This plush, modern red delivers complex and harmonious flavors with density and depth, yet remains graceful through the long, spicy finish, offering notes of black cherry, floral, espresso, mineral and sanguine over well-integrated tannins.
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Teso La Monja was founded in 2007 by Marcos and Miguel Angel Eguren, the fourth winemaking generation of the Eguren family from San Vicente de la Sonsierra in Rioja Alavesa. As they have been growing Tempranillo in Rioja Alavesa since the late 1800’s, the Eguren family fell in love with D.O. Toro when they first travelled there with Jorge Ordóñez, seduced by the region’s original clone of Tempranillo and ungrafted vines.
Jorge Ordóñez and the Eguren family were the original founders of Bodegas Numanthia, which was responsible, along with their current work, for the resurrection of D.O. Toro as one of Spain’s preeminent wine regions. After the sale of Numanthia in 2007, the Eguren family founded Teso La Monja as a new challenge for the family – finding the elegance in the wines of Toro.
The family selected vineyards in the northernmost part of D.O. Toro that have a much higher proportion of rounded stones than what is typical. This produces extremely silky, elegant wines. The winemaker, Marcos Eguren, is considered by many to be the finest winemaker in Spain. His son, Eduardo Eguren, the fifth generation, also works as the winemaker at Teso La Monja.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.