BODEGAS SAN ROMÁN | Prima | Toro | 2017
tempranillo | grenache

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Today we are going to review a wine blend from one of Spain’s less famous wine regions, the Toro sub-region of Castille & León – Prima Toro 2017 by Bodegas San Román. This wine is a blend of 85% tinto de toro (which is the local name for tempranillo) and 15% garnacha (the spanish name for grenache noir), where tempranillo forms the wine’s main body and structure, while grenache brings to the forefront those nuanced, dehydrated red fruits notes that are characteristic to many spanish wines. The grapes were sourced from 15 to 50 years-old, bush-trained vines, planted on sandy and clay soils in the Valladolid province, on 700-800 meters altitude. In order to preserve the varietal characteristics of both grape varieties and maintain that unmistakable spanish style, each of them has been vinified and aged separately, with tempranillo aged for 14 months in french (75%) and american (25%) oak barriques, while grenache has been aged for 12 months in oak vats and barrels of different age and sizes. The wine was made by applying the principles of the organic viticulture, incorporating some biodynamic farming principles, fermented using only native yeasts and without the use of synthetic chemicals, but rather a range of natural ingredients, that have the role of starters in harmonization of the biological processes in the soil, where they stimulate microbial life. But enough with all that theory, that said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: medium-deep ruby color
clarity: hazy and noble ruby shades

//Olfactory
intensity: vibrant & savory
fruit profile: black fruits
__black fruits: black plum | black cherry | aronia berry
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | savory | earthy | other
__spice: peppercorn | tonka seeds | bay leaf | mustard
__oak: roasted oakwood | charred wood | tobacco
__savory: veal | iron | musk | leather | game
__earthy: clay | marl | sand | loam | charcoal | pencil lead
__other: brettanomyces
primary layer: savory & earthy

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: medium+
alcohol: high
tannin: medium+
__grip: fine
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol
body: round | medium+

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits
fruit character: ripe & overripe
non fruit: spicy & savory
finish: medium
aftertaste: bitter-crisp

//Scoring
BODEGAS SAN ROMÁN | Prima | Toro | 2017
variety: tempranillo | grenache
country: Spain
region: Castille & León | Toro
rating: 93.4

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or within 2-3 years
verdict: great | a must try wine

//Prediction
predicted RP rating: 90+

//RP Rating
actual RP rating: 91

//All Ratings
The critics’ rating distribution: 91

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This is definitely a great wine of Spain and, with a total of 93.4 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a firm and ample wine blend, with a vibrant, savory-fruity nose and a voluptuous palate. The wine is still in its development phase, but very close to the peak of its prime form, therefore we would recommend to either drink it today or within the next 2-3 years, as the potential is clearly there, but make sure you don’t overdo it, as it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine displays a mixture of ripe and overripe black fruits and some very nuanced, savory-earthy notes in the foreground, supported by a nuanced, spicy background and a very subtle, earthy layer in between. On the palate the wine delivers crisp acidity, seedy but fine-grained tannins and an overwhelming touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to bitter-crisp aftertaste. All in all this is a quite musky, gamey and grippy, terroir-driven wine blend, with a well structured palate, where nothing is showing off – a wine that in its current state lacks some elegance and finesse on the mouthfeel. We believe it will pair nicely with delicate and rustic meats, like for example a peppercorn-crusted filet mignon or a rosemary-garlic rib-eye steak, so that all those gamey and musky flavours in the wine would be complemented by the natural umami flavours of the meat, thus creating a mouth-watering, wine-and-food pairing combination. Cheers!

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