Almirez 2025

Almirez is made by Bodega Teso la Monja in Valdefinjas, Zamora, the D.O. Toro estate of the Eguren family, who also own Sierra Cantabria in Rioja. They farm 92 hectares, some of it pre-phylloxera and over 130 years old, under a harsh continental climate of scorching summers and bitterly cold winters. Toro's signature grape is Tinta de Toro, a local strain of Tempranillo, and the region's poor, sandy and stony soils combined with that extreme climate concentrate the fruit and build the thick skins behind the wine's depth and grip. Farming follows respectful, low-intervention practice. The wine ages fourteen months in French oak barrels, where malolactic fermentation softens the acidity and the slow oxygen exchange through the wood firms the structure while adding smoke and spice. The result is a deep, structured red with intense ripe cherry and dark berry fruit, plum, liquorice, black pepper and a smoky, toasted edge. The palate is full and firm, the tannins substantial, the finish long. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees after a decant, ideally in a large glass. It suits roast and grilled red meats and game.