Teso la Monja 2012

Das Weingut Teso la Monja entstand nach dem Verkauf ihrer vorherigen Bodega Numanthia Termes im Toro an die Louis Vuitton-Moët Hennessy Gruppe. Der Verkauf soll über 30 Millionen Euro gebracht haben, immerhin war der Wein Termanthia vom Wein-Papst Robert Parker mit der Höchstwertung von 100 Punkten geadelt worden.

Nun also schufen die Eguren Brüder im neuen Weingut einen Wein der noch über dem bisherigen Flaggschiff, dem Alabaster, positioniert wird. Der Wein eine absolute Rarität, nur 821 Flaschen wurden vom Jahrgang 2011 erzeugt.  Der Teso la Monja wird aus einer kleinen Parzelle von nur 1,8 Hektar aus Rebstöcken vinifiziert, die der Reblausplage entkamen und allesamt über hundert Jahre alt sind. Marcos Eguren war so begeistert von der Qualität des Weines, als er diesen zum ersten Mal separat vinifizierte, dass er sich entschloß dieses Juwel von Wein zum neuen Flaggschiff zu erheben und ihm schlicht nach dem Weingut benannte.

So schlicht wie der Name ist, so aufwendig ist der Wein verpackt. In einer großen Holzkiste befinden sich gleich zwei Flaschen, eine gefüllt und die andere leer für’s Regal in einer aufwendigen eiförmigen Holzkonstruktion, die an das Fass erinnern soll, in welcher der Wein reifte, und die dem Wein ein weiteres Alleinstellungsmerkmal hinzufügt.   

Parker-Bewertung Jahrgang 2012:

2012 Teso la Monja
229, The Wine Advocate, 28th Feb 2017
Rating: 94
Price: $2000
Drink Date: 2018 - 2027

The rare 2012 Teso la Monja was cropped from a year with cold nights and warm days, and is always produced with the grapes from a small plot of 1.8 hectares planted with ancient vines on soils that have more limestone than other vineyards in the zone. The hand-picked grapes were hand-destemmed by a team of 50 people on September 15 and put to ferment in an open-top oak vat, and some 35% to 45% of the grapes were manually punched down. Malolactic was carried out in an egg-shaped oak vat from Taransaud and the wine saw two years in French oak barrels. This is more concentrated, more extracted and with noticeably more oak. We need to realize that this is also a warmer and riper vintage, which clearly comes through when I tasted this next to wines from much cooler vintages like 2014, and especially 2013. There is a stronger imprint from the oak in this wine compared with the others, with plenty of smoky notes and sweet spices, and also higher alcohol (15.2%) from an extremely dry vintage that extracts more aromatic compounds from the barrel; when you have slightly lower alcohol and more acidity—or freshness—the wine seems to integrate the effect of the élevage in a better way. This is more in the style of the wines from the 1990s, with more of everything, but to me a little too much oak. The oak seems to have provided abundant, dusty tannins that give it a dryness in the palate that can lead to a sensation of rusticity and less finesse than the other wines. Very good in its style, but sometimes less is more. This clearly needs more time in bottle. Only 89 bottles were filled with the 2012 vintage.

I tasted with Marcos Eguren, who considers 2013 and 2014 easier vintages in Toro than in Rioja, two years that produced wines with great freshness. The wines are powerful, faithful to the style of the place, but also searching for elegance. The oak is much better integrated than in the past, and it feels like the cooler vintages are much better for that; a wine from 2012 was distinctly oakier than any of the 2013s or 2014s, even if those were much younger and some of them very recently bottled. The 2014s are lusher and rounder, and the 2013s are fresher and more vertical. These are wines for fans of the style, they tend to be similar and have the same profile, so the price difference is sometimes hard to justify, but within that style, they are among the best. You need patience and/or powerful food... or both!

99/100 Punkte Guia Proensa, JG2009/10/11/12

97/100 Punkte Guia Penin, JG2010: Sattes Kirschrot, Aroma reifes Obst. würzig, weiches Eichenholz, Röstaromen, mit Charakter, elegant. Am Gaumen kraftvoll, geschmackvoll, Röstnoten, weiche Tannine, mineralisch.

99/100 Punkte Guia Gourmets, JG2009