One of the great wines of the world, I wanted to introduce some of you to’ San Roman’ produced in tiny region in Spain, Toro. The Toro region is in the province of Zamora, as part of Castile and Leon. Located northwest of Madrid, the region is relatively high elevation (2400 feet) and produces some of the finest Tempranillo wines of the world. Toro is also an ancient place, first conquered by Hannabal in 220 BC and the town was not repopulated until more than ten centuries later.
The wines of Toro were so famous that Christopher Columbus brought them on his journey to America. Toro is an extreme continental climate with very cold winters and very hot summers in which temperatures can eclipse 100 degrees. The wines from Toro are bold and intense. They are also some of the great bargains on the world wine market.
Bodegas San Roman produces what is one of the most famous Toro wines, its ‘San Roman.’ The winery was founded by famed winemaker, Mariano Garcia, in 1998 as Bodegas y Vinedos Maurodos. In the late 1990s his two sons Alberto and Eduardo joined the team, as director of operations and technical director respectively. They own 100 hectares of vineyards in the villages of Villaester, San Roman de Hornija, Morales de Toro and Pedrosa del Rey. The vineyards are primarily planted to Tinta de Toro, a local clone of Tempranillo. Eduardo Garcia presides over the winemaking now as the winemaking style has moved towards combining freshness and richness. I have been absolutely enchanted by this wine since I first tried it while in graduate school more than a decade ago. The combination of richness and poise was just amazing to me. The wine can be quite powerful but maintains an amazing sense of balance and terroir. Simply put, it is one of the great wines of the world. The new release, the 2015 Bodegas San Roman ‘San Roman’ Toro (WWB, 94) is a stunning wine that is intense, yet silky smooth. If you have never tried a great wine from Toro, I highly recommend looking into this beautiful wine. Learn more about this famed property at https://www.bodegasanroman.com Here is my review of the 2015 Bodegas San Roman ‘San Roman’ Toro.
2015 Bodegas San Roman Toro- The 2015 Bodegas San Roman Toro is another sensational release from this storied property in the Toro region. Toro saw very high heat spikes in 2015 so it is not surprising to see this massive wine weighing in at 14.5% alcohol. Needing a one hour hour decant, after some air this beautiful wine slowly unveils gorgeous aromatic range from black tea and Asian spices that mingle with notes of milk chocolate covered red cherry and tobacco leaf that are all marvelously woven together in the glass. The texture is soft and sumptuous, giving this wine a hedonistic edge. Suggestions of black forest cake and sweet pipe tobacco fill the palate, deftly mingling with minerals and peat moss tones. This finishes exceedingly long with dark fruits and minerals. WHile this is a delight to savor in its youth, the 2015 San Roman has both the acidity and stuffing to cellar well for the next twenty years. Drink 2020-2035- 94