
Vega Sicilia 'Pintia' Toro 2018
The Wine
Made from the Tinta de Toro (indigenous Tempranillo) variety.
95+ pts Luis Gutiérrez - Wine Advocate (Feb 01, 2023) 'The 2018 Pintia comes from a cooler and wetter vintage when the grapes were picked between September 20th and October 7th, and it fermented in their new fermentation room where they feel they can be more precise. The wine still has 15% alcohol, with a pH of 3.82 and 4.6 grams of acidity. It had a shorter élevage this year and matured for 10 months in French and 18% American oak barrels, 81% of them new. The nose is very expressive, with bright cherry fruit, and the wine is fresher than the norm in the region, with integrated alcohol and oak, reflecting a very cool year, floral and perfumed. The palate is medium-bodied and reveals very fine and elegant tannins. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Pintia....'
96 pts James Suckling 'Brooding but fresh nose, with tarry blackberries and fresh blue fruit. Iron, wet stones, violets and a hint of mocha, too. Full-bodied, mineral and broad on the palate with a stony feel, though not heavy at all. A really elegant, nuanced and extremely poised Pintia that you can enjoy now and for the next decade. A really eclectic Pintia showing more elegance and calculation. Drink or hold.'
The Details
Variety - Tempranillo
Country - Spain
Region - Toro
Extra - Cork
Year - 2018
Volume - 750ml
About the Wine Maker 
Vega Sicilia is the most prestigious wine estate in Spain - founded in the 1860s, it’s located in Ribera del Duero, two hours north of Madrid. In 1982 it was purchased by the Alvarez Family.
'Pintia' is a distinct estate developed by the Alvarez family, situated on the banks of the Douro River within the Toro D.O., further west than Vega and closer to the Portuguese border. In 1997, the Alvarez family began acquiring old parcels of 'Tinta' vines. The area is notable for its large pebbles and rocks within the vineyards, which make cultivation extremely difficult but provide the ideal environment for the Tinta de Toro vines. Their first vintage was produced in 2001, with a new cellar completed in 2006 at San Román de Hornija. Toro's climatic environment is more extreme than RdD, resulting in 'Pintia' producing wines that are much more robust, opulent, and black-fruited than their Vega counterparts, yet equally intriguing!