Celsus 2023

Celsus is a single variety Tinta de Toro from Bodegas Vetus, part of the Artevino group and run by the Antón family in Zamora. The fruit comes from the old pre-phylloxera Camparrón estate near Morales de Toro, in the D.O. Toro within Castilla y León. Toro sits on a high, dry plateau with sandy soils, baking summer days and sharp drops in night temperature, conditions that ripen Tinta de Toro, the local clone of Tempranillo, to real depth while the cold nights retain acidity. Sandy ground also protected these old ungrafted vines from phylloxera, and their low yields concentrate the fruit. The wine spends fourteen months in French oak, where slow oxygen exchange through the staves softens the naturally robust tannins and adds spice and a fine grain to the texture. Expect a deep, almost opaque red, a nose of ripe plum, black cherry and cocoa lifted by vanilla and pepper, and a full, structured palate with firm but ripe tannin and a long, savoury finish. Decant an hour ahead and serve at 16 to 18 degrees with red meat.