Bodegas Vatan "Arena" Tinta de Toro D.O. 2017
(Toro, Spain)

About the Winery:

Jorge Ordóñez is Toro’s most important modern pioneer. When Jorge first travelled to Toro in 1991 he discovered no more than five cooperative wineries. He also found acres of incredible pre-phylloxera vineyards, planted on their original rootstock. In 1995, Jorge first travelled to Toro with the Eguren family of Rioja, in hopes of founding a winery with them. In 1997, Bodegas Numanthia was founded by Jorge and the Eguren family, and become an icon for this historic region and the production of world class wines from authentic vineyards. By the time Jorge and his associates sold Numanthia to LVMH in 2007, there were 85 other wineries in D.O. Toro attempting to emulate the success of Numanthia.

After the sale of Numanthia, Jorge founded Bodegas Ordóñez, his personal project in D.O. Toro. One of the wines produced by Bodegas Ordóñez, Triton, is considered by many to be Toro’s finest value. As Ordóñez himself says, it is an honor and privilege to produce wines from the oldest clones of Tempranillo, planted and cared for with the most traditional methods of viticulture. Bodegas Ordóñez has now been renamed Bodegas Vatan, where Jorge pioneers and champions D.O. Toro as one of the world’s finest red wine regions.

About this Wine:

Toro was Spain's most famous red winemaking region during the Middle Ages. It was 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. These wines also accompanied Spanish explorers to the new world. D.O. Toro was revitalized in 1997 by Bodega Numanthia-Termes, founded by Jorge Ordóñez and the Eguren family.

Vatan comes from a single vineyard of ungrafted Tinta de Toro vines planted in 1900 called Finca Los Quemados in the Toro DO. This vineyard, located near the minuscule village of Vallaester de Abajo, is planted in extremely poor sandy soils with a thin eight-inch layer of red clay ten feet below the surface, crucial for water retention. The vineyard is dry-farmed, without the use of herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides.

Rigorous sorting is followed by destemming without crushing. The whole berries are transferred to 600L open top, neutral barrels for maceration and fermentation, which begins with a pied de cuve. Maceration lasts two weeks. The wine is pressed in a vertical basket press for twelve hours and is transferred immediately to new barriques sourced from Bordeaux & Burgundy for malolactic fermentation, which begins spontaneously.

The primary fermentation finishes in barrique and malolactic starts spontaneously. The wine rests in barrel for 36 months and one year in bottle.

Vatan Arena is a singular expression of one of the most spectacular ungrafted vineyards in Toro.

98 Points - Jeb Dunnuck (2016):
Lastly, the 2016 Vatan Arena is a vine-by-vine selection and a tiny production cuvée that was fermented all in 600-liter barrels before being moved to barrel. Deep ruby/purple-hued, its notes of cassis, classy oak, graphite, and violet all define the aromatics, and it's gorgeously balanced, full-bodied, and pure, with ultra-fine tannins and a great, great finish. Incredibly complete, layered, and complex, it's just a magical wine.

97 Points - Wine Enthusiast (2016):
Aromas of brambly fruits of the wood, bittersweet chocolate and hints of thyme, lavender and sage set the stage for cassis, blackberry, mocha, violet and dried Mediterranean herb flavors. Plush tannins come on strong and then vibrant acidity kicks in, lingering on the palate along with berry and chocolate notes.