The prestigious American publication awarded 97 points to Alabaster 2012, ranking it 34th in its listing of the top 100 wines of 2016.
For yet another year the renowned American publication Wine Enthusiast has unveiled its ranking of the top 100 wines of 2016 from around the world. After tasting more than 15,000 wines from a range of different countries and wine regions, the list was released.
Alabaster 2012 topped the ranking of Spanish wines, with 97 points, in the publication’s Best Cellar selection.
“Magnificent from head to toe,” this wine from the Teso La Monja winery located in the Zamora village of Valdefinjas is “a Toro wine that establishes a new recognition, not only for the winery, but for the Toro D.O.,” according to the American publication.
The Rioja family boasts over 100 hectares of vineyards in the Toro D.O., sown near the towns of Valdefinjas, Toro and Villabuena del Puente, some as old as 130 years, in the cases of the acreage dedicated to the production of Alabaster and Teso La Monja. Marcos and Miguel Eguren work with fresh, clayey earth featuring limestone veins in the subsoil. The current vineyards also have more gravel on their surfaces, face northwards, and feature longer growing seasons. All these characteristics guarantee the preservation of their identity, freshness, and elegance.
Marcos Eguren’s oenological footprint, bolstered by the entrepreneurial vision of his brother Miguel, has also helped to shape the direction taken by the Toro D.O., in a first stage with the Numanthia Termes winery – sold to Louis Vuitton Möett Hennessy in 2008 – and currently with the Teso La Monja winery. Almirez, Victorino and Alabaster are the three wines born of the new project. Through their work in the Toro region the Egurens have managed to produce wines that are as elegant as they are potent.
