Tempranillo Guide (Ribera del Duero vs. Toro) with winemaker Mariano Garcia

Mariano Garcia is a legendary Spanish winemaker - having produced Vega Sicilia for 30 years and now producing his own wines at Bodegas Mauro, Bodegas San Roman and Aalto. Amanda Barnes interviews Mariano Garcia over dinner for aroundtheworldi... Read the full guide to Tempranillo online.
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Transcript:
The difference is in the soil and in the altitude and then also in the climate. And in genetics, the Tinta de Toro is a Tempranillo which is the same genotype but a different phenotype. Which means that over the years, because the Tinto de Toro already existed - well it could be said the first wine to cross the Atlantic was from Toro - in Christopher Columbus' La Pinta ship it was a Toro wine that crossed the Atlantic for everyone that went there. After so much time, the genotype has changed to a different phenotype. And what happened? Well, although you can see that the genetics are the same, there are some changes. These changes mean that the grape berry in Toro is smaller, because it is a harder climate, it is more continental, and it has some more extreme temperature changes than in Ribera del Duero. And this has happened over the years, and also because of the soil. They both have been conditioning this Tempranillo to be a Tinta de Toro - but genetically it is still a Tempranillo.
Toro is a wine with more density. The alcohol level isn't very different, it depends on the subregion but there isn't much difference. But there is a difference in structure, in density and then the wines of Toro are influenced by a predominantly clay soil. We call it red clay, a very mineral soil and the PH is different. It is a more acidic PH. So this clay, this minerality, means that this wine has a slightly more mineral touch. And now we will see it in the tasting! We are going to taste a Mauro which is not in the DO but it is more 'Duero' than any other wine, because the Duero hugs Tudela. And we are going to try the San Roman, where we will see this minerality. And then, logically, in Toro it is a much poorer soil, the density of plantings is much lower, which means that it makes more concentrated grapes (than in Ribera del Duero). Of course it depends on every viticulturist! Because you could have a viticulturist in Toro that gives you a vineyard in VPS and artificially irrigates! But if there isn't this profile, then this is the difference between Toro and Ribera del Duero. Ribera del Duero can have a slight bit more acidity but with regards to the ageing ability of both wines, there isn't a difference. I have seen Toro - in my experience with my first harvest in Toro in 1998, if we open a bottle of '98 it is complete. It appears that time hasn't passed over the wine, which means that Toro are also wines for ageing.
The Grenache is symbolic of what I have in Bodega Mauro, there were old vines. In all the old vineyards of Castilla y Leon, those that are over 50 years old, there is no pure varietal Tempranillo vineyard. Historically they always blended Garnacha with Albilla (a white grape) and Cabernet Sauvignon afterwards, and Syrah you can say that I brought it - a percentage, 8% Syrah - because there were few vineyards of Garnacha but a Garnacha I don't plant because it is a difficult variety. It matures 8 days later and then to give you quality, the plant needs to lose its vigour (which takes 30 years). So I'm not going to plant a Garnacha in order to wait 30 years for it to lose its vigour... And when it matures 10 or 15 days later, which in Castilla y Leon you're already into the end of October. In substitution for this Garnacha variety, I brought Syrah. I brought it from one of the vineyards of the Rhone, which Eduardo brought from a visit there. And the Cabernet wasn't here in Castilla y Leon and it came in the hands of someone at Vega Sicilia. And if you wanted to make Vega Sicilia, it had to have Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec, but not because it was from Castilla y Leon.
I think Tempranillo is a variety, like the food, that doesn't stand out for anything in particular, but it has everything. It is austere in the nose, but it has everything and so it can pair well with almost all foods. I drink it with fish - a firm fish - and logically, here we are in Castilla, so with roast meats. With lamb it goes very well. But it is very versatile. The Tempranillo also depends... Whether you have picked a younger Tempranillo, with more fruit; or one that has spent more time in barrel and been aged longer. Tempranillo is very versatile.

[@robertthomas7343]

Legendary and prolific Spanish Winemaker/Artist ! We enjoy his beautiful wines at our table when we can acquire them ! His sons will carry his legacy forward !!

[@AmandaBarnesWine]

Such a wonderful winemaker and so knowledgeable! Cheers 🍷