Elías Mora. Wine tasting with Victoria Benavides

A new tasting at Tierra Nuestra facilities. This time the wine is coming from the lands of the Denomination of Origin Toro (A kind of AVA for Spain), a wine cellar with a short tour, but with a great tradition behind it. In front of it, we find the vine-grower Victoria Benavides, Viki, who declares faithful to those principles where traditional processing is still working for quality and fine wines.

Founded in 2000, the winery received its name in honor to the former owner of the first acquired vineyard, Elias Mora. All wines are made from the predominant grape in the area, Tinta de Toro. All these red wines owe their unique character, not so much to their elaboration process but the different estates from which they come.

They are vineyards cultivated in the traditional way, some of them very old, (previous to the European plague known as Filoxera) , and settle on high ground on poor soils, in an extreme climate, with great variation not only seasonal temperature, but from day to night, and where rain is scarce (400 mm.). The sum of all these factors shape the quality of the grape.

Her philosophy combines tradition and modernity. In her own words "the cellar must be near the vineyard, where we combine the knowledge of our ancestors with modern technology, and in the heart of the cellar, the wine is aging in barrels. Only natural products to raise wines: oak, natural cork and glass. "

 

Elías mora 2013

A red wine from old vines , produced from 100% Tinta de Toro grapes, as usual for all the wines from this winery . This wine has been six months aging in American oak barrels. It appears with a purple color denoting his youth. We find aromas of black berries, blackberries, but also appears the characteristic taste of licorice Tinta de Toro . This wine has a long sip, it is a fresh and lively drink, thought to drink at any time. Tasty fruit and has a very tamed astringency by the presence of the new barrel . Good integrated with ripe tannins that provide it  fresh acidity.

elías mora crianza 2013

The cherry red color with violet tones predominate in sight. It is a clear wine - a quality that will see repeated in all wines from this brand-, it presents a complex aromas, roasted blend (fruit of 18 months aging  in both new American oak barrels and French), with milk and vanilla, plus licorice. Wood, black fruit and acidity appear again balanced. It is a silky wine, to raise in the bottle , persistent, and easy to drink.

 

elías mora reserva 2013

Visually is a red wine cherry, intense layer. Coming from very old, even ancient vineyards, it contains a small percentage of grapes Aragones with the Tempranillo. This is a very complex wine, designed to last for many years, it is still to give their best in the bottle. However, as the wine is opening they appear multitude of different aromas, from the ripe red fruit to mineral notes, balsamic, toasted reminiscent of rolling tobacco. Licorice is also present, and spices, such as cloves. A wine to drink slowly, tasting it second by second. Again the perfect balance between wood and fruit acidity is present. A wine in which the sensations are guaranteed.

elías mora descarte 2013

It has a very vivid purple color. It is among all the tasted wines the more closest to the concept of signature wine. It is a very fresh wine, despite its 12 months in new French oak. It is very aromatic, highlighting the ripe red fruit in the nose. It is also characterized by the presence of black fruit. The vineyards from which this wine comes from(100% Tinta de Toro) are oriented north, which gives that special character that translates into a more lively acidity and a freshness of Atlantic wines. A wine to improve in the  bottle along the years. In any case, a great wine.

dulce benavides

A generous wine made from dried grapes 100% Tinta de Toro coming from various vineyards. After three months aging in French oak barrels, the result is a wine with an intense purple color, and both smell and taste bear some resemblance to some port wines, not in vain the vineyards of origin share the river Duero. It has a very complex nose, with hints of black licorice, raisins, berries, balsamic ... while noted for its aromatic intensity.The mouth is silky step, even velvety, very balsamic flavors, it is an unctuous wine while fresh and very tasty.