2021 Teso la Monja Alabaster 0.375 ltr

Type of Wine | Red |
---|---|
Country | Spain |
Region | |
Appellation | |
Winery | |
Vintage | 2021 |
Grape | |
Content (Alc) | 0.375 ltr (14%) |
Drink window | 2024 - 2038 |
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Description
This top Spanish wine is produced by the Teso La Monja winery, an exclusive winery, one of the beautiful wineries of Hermanos Eguren . The Alabaster is now the full-fledged successor to the Termanthia (the EGUREN family sold the Numanthia and Termanthia vineyard to Luis Vutton, Hennesy Moet & Chandon - LVMH in 2007 and started a new project in the same year: Bodegas Teso la Monja). The EGUREN family consistently continues its tradition of care and quality. The grapes are picked exclusively by hand and collected in small boxes to avoid damage. The yield is only 9hl/ha, so extremely low. The wine matures for 18 months in new French oak. Harvested exclusively from vines with an average age of 100 years from the pre-phylloxera period, i.e. still original vines/ungrafted vines (own-rooted Vitis vinifera). The Alabster is a full aromatic wine. Plums, blackcurrants, cherries, minerals, a touch of mocha and beautiful tannins and a grand finale. This wine has enormous potential. The wine is only made in the top years.
The centenary vines used for Alabaster produced only (maximum) 11 hectoliters per hectare. Only 4,000 bottles were produced and a handful of magnums. This version is a half bottle of 0.375 liters. Ideal for 3 beautiful glasses of wine from this winner.
ABOUT HARVEST TORO 2021
Early January 2021 has a very cold front and abundant snowfall (Filomena); and followed by very low temperatures down to -12ºC. The snow, together with the slow and gradual melting, ensures very good disinfection of the soil, increasing nitrification and a good increase in water reserves. The end of winter brings mild temperatures that give way to buds in the second week of April. On April 17 and 18, frosts of various factors occur, causing variable damage; in the oldest vineyards they reach 12 or 15%. Slow development in the vegetation until the end of April. Temperatures rise from mid-May, flowering begins in the first days of June and lasts until the middle of this month. During the flowering period there are storms and unstable temperatures that cause irregular fertilization in some vineyards, but which are not observed. attacks of mildew or other diseases. From June 16 there is a rise in temperature that accelerates the vegetative cycle and causes good cell multiplication. Total absence of rain during this period and temperatures during the first week of June are equal to or lower than average, with a maximum of 28 degrees. From mid-July, with a rise in temperatures, the vineyard cycle is reactivated. The veraison began the last week of July. The first days of August we find average temperatures and a total absence of rain. During the first days of September (rain varying depending on the zones) between 10-20 l/m2, which promotes balance in the different maturations: physiological, phenolic and aromatic. Perfect health and great balance in all parameters. Intermittent rainfall from September 14 to 16 forced the halt of the harvest, which will resume on September 21, without any impact on the quality of the bunches observed. From the end of September, temperatures drop significantly and there is no rain, completing the harvest of the youngest vineyards with excellent quality and a slightly higher quantity than expected.
Specifications
Type of Wine | Red |
---|---|
Country | Spain |
Region | Castilla y Leon |
Appellation | Toro |
Icons | Icon Spain & Portugal |
Winery | Teso La Monja |
Grape | Tempranillo |
Biological certified | No |
Natural wine | No |
Vegan | No |
Vintage | 2021 |
Drinking as of | 2024 |
Drinking till | 2038 |
Alcohol % | 14 |
Alcohol free/low | No |
Content | 0.375 ltr |
Oak aging | Yes |
Sparkling | No |
Dessert wine | No |
Closure | Cork |
Parker rating | 97 |
Vinous rating | 95 |
Tasting Profiles | Complex, Droog, Houtgerijpt, Krachtig, Kruidig, Rood fruit, Tannines, Vol |
Drink moments | Indruk maken, Lekker luxe, Open haard |
Professional Reviews
Parker
The Wine Advocate
RP 97
Reviewed by:
Luis Gutiérrez
Release Price:
$290
Drink Date:
2023 - 2034
The 2020 Alabaster was produced with Tinta de Toro grapes from 11.5 hectares of ancient ungrafted vines that yielded 1,000 liters per hectare in 2020. The grapes were hand-destemmed and fermented in open tanks for 19 days, followed by malolactic in bottle and 18 months in new French oak barrels. It has 14.99% alcohol and a pH of 3.56. 2020 is a very approachable vintage, a year with finesse, elegance and balance, and this Alabaster is perfumed and floral and feels light on its feet despite the power, concentration and clout. It has a beautiful nose and the new oak is not overpowering despite being noticeable. It should develop nicely and for a very long time in bottle. It has great balance and is one of the finest vintages of Alabaster if not the best... 5,900 bottles were filled in May 2022.
Teso la Monja is the project the Eguren family from Rioja created in Toro after they sold Numanthia to the LVMH group. They produce around 200,000 bottles from old and very old vines. I tasted the wines from 2020, a wet and cooler year with a warm end of the season, but in Toro, there was mildew more than in other regions, as they had rains close to the harvest and the grapes grew. The wines are lighter and a bit fresher with lower pH. They're fruit-driven, quite accessible young and quite direct, despite having a good structure and tannins, but all of it in good balance. They compared 2020 with vintages like 2010 and 2014, good years marked by rain in August that allowed the grapes to ripen fully. The vineyards and vines are certified organic, but they do not show the seal on the bottles.
Published: Jan 31, 2023
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Wine Spectator
Tasting Note
A big wine, in the modern style, this bold red delivers boysenberry, currant and pomegranate flavors in a round, plush texture. Firm tannins and citrusy acidity keep it focused. Drink now through 2030. 330 cases made, 30 cases imported. — TM
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Vinous
95
Drinking Window
2025 - 2045
From: Reds From Toro: Old Vines and New Knowhow (Dec 2023)
The 2021 Alabaster is sourced from 130-year-old pre-phylloxera vines in Toro and aged in barrels. It's a garnet hue with a blueish sheen. Its nose boasts ripe black fruits, including plums and blackberries, with undergrowth, herb and smoked cedar hints. Ample and bold on the palate, the fine-grained tannins and supple texture lead to a long-lasting finish. A rare and pure Toro red, it offers a concentrated yet weightless mouthfeel.
- By Joaquín Hidalgo on September 2023
Brothers Marcos and Miguel Eguren, originally from Rioja, control several wineries under the name Sierra Cantabria. In Toro, they built Numanthia, later sold it, and, in 2007, founded Teso La Monja in Valdefinjas. The spacious winery, designed like old Rioja casonas, houses a wide array of open tops. Marcos Eguren, leading winemaker, gently extracts Tinta de Toro. The Almirez and Victorino wines are fine examples, with Alabaster best defining the contained energy and polish achieved with this variety.
96
Drinking Window
2026 - 2037
From: The Vast Bounty of Central Spain (Feb 2021)
Dark, bright-rimmed purple. Intensely perfumed blueberry, cherry compote, cola, exotic spice and vanilla aromas are complicated by smoky mineral, licorice and roasted coffee notes. Broad, palate-staining dark berry liqueur, bitter cherry and violet pastille flavors display impressive depth as well as vivacity, and a bright jolt of peppery spices adds back-end lift. Finishes sweet, spicy and extremely long, with youthfully gripping tannins providing framework.
- By Josh Raynolds on November 2020
Toro doesn’t get anywhere near the attention afforded to neighboring Ribera del Duero, but its top wines - and this bodega produces some of the very best - can be just as complex and equal in quality to Ribera’s most famous names. Established in 2007 by the Eguren family, of Rioja fame (Sierra Cantabria, etc.), Teso La Monja quickly earned a reputation for producing some of Toro’s most intense, deeply flavored wines, and the Egurens have never looked back. This is a no-expense-spared operation and the wines show it, from the entry level on up.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
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Wijnhuis
The Spanish winery Teso La Monja is located in the Toro. The winery heralds a new era for the Eguren family in DO Toro, a land from which she fell in love with the capacity of the old pre-phylloxera vines. Teso La Monja was founded in 2007. Wines that bring the potential of the Tinta de Toro with elegance, finesse and freshness, shared by all wines of the Eguren family attributes. The Almirez, Victorino and also the great Romanico (unprecedented good value for money in our opinion) are invariably 90+ Parker and Penin wines. Not surprising knowing that the Eguren family is also behind the Alabaster cult wine.
The Teso La Monja winery is located on north-facing loam soils with gravel on the surface, providing longer vegetative cycles for achieving balanced, powerful yet elegant wines that convey the maximum potential of soil minerality.
This top Spanish wine is produced by the Teso La Monja winery, an exclusive winery, one of the beautiful wineries of Hermanos Eguren . The Alabaster is now the full-fledged successor to the Termanthia (the EGUREN family sold the Numanthia and Termanthia vineyard to Luis Vutton, Hennesy Moet & Chandon - LVMH in 2007 and started a new project in the same year: Bodegas Teso la Monja). The EGUREN family consistently continues its tradition of care and quality. The grapes are picked exclusively by hand and collected in small boxes to avoid damage. The yield is only 9hl/ha, so extremely low. The wine matures for 18 months in new French oak. Harvested exclusively from vines with an average age of 100 years from the pre-phylloxera period, i.e. still original vines/ungrafted vines (own-rooted Vitis vinifera). The Alabster is a full aromatic wine. Plums, blackcurrants, cherries, minerals, a touch of mocha and beautiful tannins and a grand finale. This wine has enormous potential. The wine is only made in the top years.
The centenary vines used for Alabaster produced only (maximum) 11 hectoliters per hectare. Only 4,000 bottles were produced and a handful of magnums. This version is a half bottle of 0.375 liters. Ideal for 3 beautiful glasses of wine from this winner.
ABOUT HARVEST TORO 2021
Early January 2021 has a very cold front and abundant snowfall (Filomena); and followed by very low temperatures down to -12ºC. The snow, together with the slow and gradual melting, ensures very good disinfection of the soil, increasing nitrification and a good increase in water reserves. The end of winter brings mild temperatures that give way to buds in the second week of April. On April 17 and 18, frosts of various factors occur, causing variable damage; in the oldest vineyards they reach 12 or 15%. Slow development in the vegetation until the end of April. Temperatures rise from mid-May, flowering begins in the first days of June and lasts until the middle of this month. During the flowering period there are storms and unstable temperatures that cause irregular fertilization in some vineyards, but which are not observed. attacks of mildew or other diseases. From June 16 there is a rise in temperature that accelerates the vegetative cycle and causes good cell multiplication. Total absence of rain during this period and temperatures during the first week of June are equal to or lower than average, with a maximum of 28 degrees. From mid-July, with a rise in temperatures, the vineyard cycle is reactivated. The veraison began the last week of July. The first days of August we find average temperatures and a total absence of rain. During the first days of September (rain varying depending on the zones) between 10-20 l/m2, which promotes balance in the different maturations: physiological, phenolic and aromatic. Perfect health and great balance in all parameters. Intermittent rainfall from September 14 to 16 forced the halt of the harvest, which will resume on September 21, without any impact on the quality of the bunches observed. From the end of September, temperatures drop significantly and there is no rain, completing the harvest of the youngest vineyards with excellent quality and a slightly higher quantity than expected.
Type of Wine | Red |
---|---|
Country | Spain |
Region | Castilla y Leon |
Appellation | Toro |
Icons | Icon Spain & Portugal |
Winery | Teso La Monja |
Grape | Tempranillo |
Biological certified | No |
Natural wine | No |
Vegan | No |
Vintage | 2021 |
Drinking as of | 2024 |
Drinking till | 2038 |
Alcohol % | 14 |
Alcohol free/low | No |
Content | 0.375 ltr |
Oak aging | Yes |
Sparkling | No |
Dessert wine | No |
Closure | Cork |
Parker rating | 97 |
Vinous rating | 95 |
Tasting Profiles | Complex, Droog, Houtgerijpt, Krachtig, Kruidig, Rood fruit, Tannines, Vol |
Drink moments | Indruk maken, Lekker luxe, Open haard |
Parker
The Wine Advocate
RP 97
Reviewed by:
Luis Gutiérrez
Release Price:
$290
Drink Date:
2023 - 2034
The 2020 Alabaster was produced with Tinta de Toro grapes from 11.5 hectares of ancient ungrafted vines that yielded 1,000 liters per hectare in 2020. The grapes were hand-destemmed and fermented in open tanks for 19 days, followed by malolactic in bottle and 18 months in new French oak barrels. It has 14.99% alcohol and a pH of 3.56. 2020 is a very approachable vintage, a year with finesse, elegance and balance, and this Alabaster is perfumed and floral and feels light on its feet despite the power, concentration and clout. It has a beautiful nose and the new oak is not overpowering despite being noticeable. It should develop nicely and for a very long time in bottle. It has great balance and is one of the finest vintages of Alabaster if not the best... 5,900 bottles were filled in May 2022.
Teso la Monja is the project the Eguren family from Rioja created in Toro after they sold Numanthia to the LVMH group. They produce around 200,000 bottles from old and very old vines. I tasted the wines from 2020, a wet and cooler year with a warm end of the season, but in Toro, there was mildew more than in other regions, as they had rains close to the harvest and the grapes grew. The wines are lighter and a bit fresher with lower pH. They're fruit-driven, quite accessible young and quite direct, despite having a good structure and tannins, but all of it in good balance. They compared 2020 with vintages like 2010 and 2014, good years marked by rain in August that allowed the grapes to ripen fully. The vineyards and vines are certified organic, but they do not show the seal on the bottles.
Published: Jan 31, 2023
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Wine Spectator
Tasting Note
A big wine, in the modern style, this bold red delivers boysenberry, currant and pomegranate flavors in a round, plush texture. Firm tannins and citrusy acidity keep it focused. Drink now through 2030. 330 cases made, 30 cases imported. — TM
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Vinous
95
Drinking Window
2025 - 2045
From: Reds From Toro: Old Vines and New Knowhow (Dec 2023)
The 2021 Alabaster is sourced from 130-year-old pre-phylloxera vines in Toro and aged in barrels. It's a garnet hue with a blueish sheen. Its nose boasts ripe black fruits, including plums and blackberries, with undergrowth, herb and smoked cedar hints. Ample and bold on the palate, the fine-grained tannins and supple texture lead to a long-lasting finish. A rare and pure Toro red, it offers a concentrated yet weightless mouthfeel.
- By Joaquín Hidalgo on September 2023
Brothers Marcos and Miguel Eguren, originally from Rioja, control several wineries under the name Sierra Cantabria. In Toro, they built Numanthia, later sold it, and, in 2007, founded Teso La Monja in Valdefinjas. The spacious winery, designed like old Rioja casonas, houses a wide array of open tops. Marcos Eguren, leading winemaker, gently extracts Tinta de Toro. The Almirez and Victorino wines are fine examples, with Alabaster best defining the contained energy and polish achieved with this variety.
96
Drinking Window
2026 - 2037
From: The Vast Bounty of Central Spain (Feb 2021)
Dark, bright-rimmed purple. Intensely perfumed blueberry, cherry compote, cola, exotic spice and vanilla aromas are complicated by smoky mineral, licorice and roasted coffee notes. Broad, palate-staining dark berry liqueur, bitter cherry and violet pastille flavors display impressive depth as well as vivacity, and a bright jolt of peppery spices adds back-end lift. Finishes sweet, spicy and extremely long, with youthfully gripping tannins providing framework.
- By Josh Raynolds on November 2020
Toro doesn’t get anywhere near the attention afforded to neighboring Ribera del Duero, but its top wines - and this bodega produces some of the very best - can be just as complex and equal in quality to Ribera’s most famous names. Established in 2007 by the Eguren family, of Rioja fame (Sierra Cantabria, etc.), Teso La Monja quickly earned a reputation for producing some of Toro’s most intense, deeply flavored wines, and the Egurens have never looked back. This is a no-expense-spared operation and the wines show it, from the entry level on up.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Exclusive Content
Sign in to unlock professional wine reviews from world-renowned critics
The Spanish winery Teso La Monja is located in the Toro. The winery heralds a new era for the Eguren family in DO Toro, a land from which she fell in love with the capacity of the old pre-phylloxera vines. Teso La Monja was founded in 2007. Wines that bring the potential of the Tinta de Toro with elegance, finesse and freshness, shared by all wines of the Eguren family attributes. The Almirez, Victorino and also the great Romanico (unprecedented good value for money in our opinion) are invariably 90+ Parker and Penin wines. Not surprising knowing that the Eguren family is also behind the Alabaster cult wine.
The Teso La Monja winery is located on north-facing loam soils with gravel on the surface, providing longer vegetative cycles for achieving balanced, powerful yet elegant wines that convey the maximum potential of soil minerality.