PINTIA Toro

WS: 93

A graceful red, with lovely purity to the core of mulberry and roasted black plum fruit. Shows flattering notes of rooibos tea, fennel seed, vanilla, espresso and mineral. Defined by sculpted tannins, this is enmeshed in a silky texture, while lightly mouthwatering acidity carries the detailed profile on the lasting finish. Drink now through 2040. 20,354 cases made, 1,519 cases imported.  –AN

WA: 94

The 2020 Pintia is from a powerful year of concentration, so they were very careful with the harvest date, did a softer vinification trying to extract less and included amphorae and less toast in the élevage. It's opulent and juicy but gentle. The wine reached 15.5% alcohol and has a pH of 3.9 with 4.4 grams of acidity. It fermented in stainless steel and oak vats with indigenous yeasts. It was a very warm and dry vintage in Toro, with a heat wave before the harvest, so they had to rush to pick the grapes; and still, the wine is richer and more powerful, even though the amphorae helped them contain the sensation of ripeness in the wine. It has a heady and ripe profile that's very aromatic and showy, with notes of very ripe berries, prunes and decayed violets, with a faint volatile twist. It matured 70% in new barrels, 10% in used barrels, 10% in stainless steel and 5% in clay pots. It's full-bodied and lush, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins. It's a ripe and powerful vintage for Pintia, but it evolves nicely in the glass, showing less of its ripe side with time, which to me is a good sign. Some 14,304 half bottles, 209,009 bottles, 6,645 magnums and some larger formats were produced. It was bottled in August 2022.

VN: 94

The 2020 Pintia is Tempranillo from Toro. It opens with fine plum, delicate spice, cherry, barrel notes and a hint of orange peel. A touch of jam adds to the warmth. Rich and intense, the palate is broad and textured with firm tannins. For a Toro, the mouthfeel is unusually smooth, with a core of red fruit. Nicely balanced.

WS: 94

An enticing red, leading with fragrant notes of warm spices, ground coffee and singed alder -- a subtle, aromatic thread lacing flavors of raspberry coulis, dried sage, red licorice and mineral. Supple tannins are a limber frame for the well-meshed profile, and the fresh finish echoes plum skin, dried fig and white pepper accents. Drink now through 2041. 19,600 cases made, 1,400 cases imported.  –AN

WA: 95+

The current release is the 2021 Pintia, an exceptional vintage for them in Toro, and is one of their finest to date. It was cropped from a cooler year, and the wine has more freshness despite the 15% alcohol. It has a pH of 3.83 and 4.7 grams of acidity. It fermented in stainless steel and oak vats and matured partly in stainless steel (15%), barrels and foudres with 75% new oak, for 11 months. Three episodes of rain in September really made the vintage, something unusual in the zone, putting the icing on the cake of a cooler year. The wine is always more powerful than the wines from Ribera or Rioja, with more oomph, density and abundant tannins but with very good balance and freshness. It's a Pintia for the long haul, like a 2018 with more weight. There were 235,355 bottles, 13,944 half-bottles, 6,535 magnums and some larger formats produced. This was bottled in April 2023.