- Denominación de Origen
- LOCATION
- Varietal
- VINEYARD
- YEAR(S) PLANTED
- VITICULTURE
- SOILS
- CLIMATE
- WINEMAKING
- AGEING
- COMMENTS
D.O. Toro
Vallaester de Abajo, province of Zamora, D.O. Toro
100% Tinta de Toro
Finca los Quemados
Planted in 1900 on original European rootstock
Traditional dry farmed viticulture. Organic, ungrafted, Gobelet trained vines. Cultivated completely by hand.
Primarily sandy soils intermixed with river stones from alluvial origin. There is a layer of red clay 20 cm thick in the subsoil two to three meters below the surface.
Drastic continental steppe climate, with drastic temperature swings between day and night. The climate is also very dry – annual rainfall levels reach 350 liters/m2, less than half of Rioja and much less than Ribera del Duero.
Hand-harvested and stored in small baskets. The grapes are rigorously sorted at the winery. Uncrushed grapes begin fermentation spontaneously in 3T open top temperature controlled stainless steel fermenters. The wine is pressed before the alcoholic fermentation finishes and is transferred to new French oak Burgundy and Bordeaux barrels. Alcoholic fermentation finishes and malolactic fermentation begins in barrel.
Aged for 24 months
Vatan Arena is the pure representation of the oldest clone of Tempranillo in Spain, from some of the oldest ungrafted vines in the country, located in the only Spanish D.O. that completely resisted the phylloxera plague. During the Middle Ages, Toro was Spain’s most famous winemaking region. Mentioned in literature by Alfonso IX (King of León, 12th c.), Juan Ruiz the Archpriest of Hita, Quevedo, Luis de Góngora, and Miguel de Cervantes. In 14th Century Sevilla, the sale of any foreign wine was prohibited, save the wines of Toro. These wines accompanied Spanish explorers to the New World.
