The family Frutos Villar were already trading wines in the region around the town of Toro (province of Castilla y Leon in the north-west of Spain) at the begining of the last century, their own winery was then founded in 1920. Today, José Luis Villar Rodríguez is the head of the 4th generation´s team. It it them, together with other 3 wineries in the area, who are actually responsible for the foundation of this relatively new D.O. TORO. Beeing such a traditional cellar, this family has definitely managed to develop itself and meets up with the most modern standards of winemaking today. The wines that convinced me from the begining on are their „Muruve“ wines. The „Joven“, “Roble“, „Crianza“ and „Reserva“ are clearly defined, there is a consequent step-up to the next higher quality which you maybe think is strange that I mention it. But this is actually something that you don´t find necessarily very naturally all the time. The grapes for the „Joven“ and the „Roble“ are meanwhile harvested by mashines, the grapes for the „Crianza“ and the „Reserva“ are harvested manually. All four wines are 100% Tempranillo and profit from the high average age oft he vineyards, th oldest vines are more than a 100 years old. For the aging the bodega uses mostly American oak: fort he „Roble“ entirely, for the „Crianza“ and the „Reserva“ with a small percentage of French oak. The „dosis“ of oak is very much in balance with the fruit, the wines are wonderfully harmonic , without trying to cover the typical, natural vigor oft he wines of D.O. Toro.
Brand: Muruve
Winery: Bodegas Frutos del Villar
Vintage: 2006
Varietal: 100% Tempranillo (here called „Tinta de Toro“)
Winemaking: Traditional maceration in stainless steel vats with 100% de-stemmed grapes. 3 – 4 pump-overs per day. Temperature controlled fermentation for 15 – 20 days. After a setting period, the wine is filled into the barrels (90% American, 10% French) where it is aged for 20 months. Racking every 3 months.
Alcohol: 14,5 % Vol.
Average Price: 18 Eur
Tasting notes: very attractive and complex nose, almost right after opening up the bottle. Elegant structure, no voluminous body! Fresh red berry fruit perfectly combined with the coconut and vanilla flavors of the barrels. Nice spice! Hints of herbs and some smoky notes. Incredibly stable (I opened the bottle and only had one glass, finished the bottle 4 days later, and it was still absolutely amazing, hadn´t changed a bit! I was impressed!)
Food Pairing suggestions: well-marinated red meats
General Rating: 4 tastevins
Catergories: sit-down, food wine