Bodegas Vatan Tinta de Toro 2020
(Toro, Spain) - [JD 95+] [PG 95] [VM 94] [WE 92] [JS 91] [WS 91]

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.

The grapes are carefully sorted after being hand-harvested before the wine undergoes fermentation in large stainless steel vats. Maceration roughly seven to eight days. The wine then ages between 18-22 months in french oak.

Ratings & Reviews

95+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"Looking at the 2020 Vatan, it comes from a single vineyard planted in 1900. Raised in barrel, this deep purple-hued beauty offers up a gorgeous array of cassis and darker berry fruits as well as integrated classy oak, roasted herb, graphite, and Asian spice-like nuances. It's a rich, powerful wine yet stays light on its feet and balanced, with beautiful tannins and integrated acidity." (Jul 2024)

95 Points - Penin Guide to Spanish Wine: 
"Colour: deep cherry, garnet rim. Nose: aged wood nuances, ripe fruit, cocoa been, cigar, toasty, black fruit. Palate: flavourful, spicy, toasty, powerful tannins."

94 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2020 Vatan comes from exceptionally old vines in the Quemaos vineyard situated in the Villaester de Abajo area. Aged for 20 months in French oak barrels, it displays a dark purple color. The balsamic nose reveals plums, sour cherries and subtle blackberries over a cedar layer. Rich, creamy and juicy on the palate, the supple tannins and mild intensity lead to a nuanced, enduring finish. This is a vibrant interpretation of a successful year for Toro." - Joaquin Hidalgo (Dec 2023)

92 Points - Wine Enthusiast & Editor's Choice:
"Deep violet-red to the eye, this wine has a nose of blackberry, clove and milk chocolate. A framework of sturdy tannins supports black cherry, purple plum, licorice, lavender, dark chocolate and orange zest flavors that taper off into a pomegranate and rose petal finish." -  Mike DeSimone (Nov 2023)

91 Points - James Suckling:
"An overlay of vanilla ice cream to the fresh blackberries and cherries with a hint of coffee and hibiscus flowers. Juicy and tight on the palate, with some fluidity in the center palate. The finish is crunchy and succulent, although it is quite tight and grippy. Come back in 2025." (Apr 2023)

91 Points - Wine Spectator:
"An elegant, medium- to full-bodied red that marries a pretty range of macerated black raspberry and boysenberry fruit, violet and bay leaf notes with supple tannins and lively orange peel acidity. Shows hints of spices, mineral and graphite that linger on the finish. Drink now through 2028. 3,500 cases made, 2,000 cases imported." - AN (Dec 2023)