There is little doubt that ‘San Roman’ is one of the great wines of the world, produced from a tiny region in Spain, Toro. The region has an amazing history and is located 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 poise and terroir. Simply put, it is one of the great wines of the world. The new release, the 2020 Bodegas San Roman ‘San Roman’ Toro (OB, 95) is a total stunner with loads of richness and dark fruits.Even better is the new wine, the 2018 Bodega San Roman ‘Cartago Paraje del Pozo’ Toro (OB, 98) which is amongst the finest Toro wines I have ever tasted. Learn more about this famed property at https://www.bodegasanroman.com Here is my review of the new wines by Bodegas San Roman.
2020 San Roman ‘Prima’ Toro- The 2020 ‘Prima’ is sourced from estate vineyards up to 50 years of age. It is juicy and concentrated, loaded with rich dark and red fruit flavors, alongside tar and milk chocolate notes. Drink now. Drink 2023-2030- 91
2020 San Roman Garnacha- The astonishingly good 2020 San Roman Garnacha is soft and voluptuous on the mouth with a smooth texture. A beautiful purity of red fruits greets you, alongside salty soils, orange peel and suggestions of cardamom. Sexy, salty and very fresh, this is a gorgeous, highly novel Garnacha that will satisfy Grenache-lovers across the globe. Drink 2023-2035- 94
2021 San Roman Malvasia- The 2021 San Roman Blanco is 100% Malvasia Castellana that was sourced from the 60-year-old El Pinar vineyard. Showing loads of nerve, with beautiful freshness and mouth-watering acidity, this delights with its melon and citrus rind flavors alongside pastry crust notes. It is nearly impossible to put down once opened. Drink 2023-2033- 94
2020 Bodega San Roman Toro- A magnificent effort, the 2020 San Roman is vibrant, polished and lithe, with gobs of stuffing and mouth-watering acidity. Baking spices, espresso grounds and milk chocolate notes all fill the nose with shades of huckleberry. The palate is dense and rich with fantastic underlying tension. Really needing a few years to evolve, enjoy now and over the next twenty years to come. Drink 2024-2044- 95
2018 Bodega San Roman ‘Cartago Paraje del Pozo’ Toro- The mind-bending ‘Cartago Paraje del Pozo’ Toro comes is comprised of 90% Tinta de Toro and 10% other grape varieties, coming from an own-rooted, 45-year-old single vineyard. This is the inaugural vintage of this wine that shows very inky in the glass, this shows off amazing power with its massive dark and blue fruit profile. Pencil lead, and creme de violette notes combine with mocha, tar and iron with heady blue fruits on the palate. Finishing long with beautiful tension and viscosity, this is quite simply a masterpiece by San Roman. Drink 2023-2045- 98