Quinola
This is a new venture from the Suarez family, who have proven winemaking pedigree from their previous involvement with Bodegas Mauro and Leda Viñas Viejas in Ribera del Duero. Their ambition is to produce the finest Toro wine possible from the indigenous Tinta de Toro clone of Tempranillo. Bordeaux-trained Jaime Suarez is in charge of the winemaking and he has taken his inspiration from vintages spent at Chateau Girolate in Bordeaux and St. Hallett in the Barossa. In the family’s quest for a powerful, yet elegant wine, the grapes are sourced from their high altitude vineyard (850m) with 90 year old bush vines, which yield on average a miserly 1 kg of fruit each. The winemaking is meticulous. The berries are rigorously sorted and then placed into barrels of the tightest-grained French oak. Fermentation is by natural yeast only and the barrels are simply rotated on oxoline racks to give a gentle extraction. Following an extended maceration the wine is pressed and then returned to the barrels for twenty months maturation before bottling without filtration. The result is a wonderfully profound wine that expresses the innate power of Toro but has none of the associated rusticity. The nose and palate are bursting with blackberry and plum fruit along with mineral, dark chocolate and liquorice notes. Whilst dense and powerful, the wine is not over-extracted or over-alcoholic, as can often be the case in Toro, and it remains light on its feet, with velvety tannins and fully integrated wood. It can be approached early, but will reward patience, hitting its stride from 2012 onwards. Just over 4000 bottles were produced of the 2007 vintage, of which we have secured a tiny allocation for the UK. The wine is available in 3 and 6 bottle wooden cases.
Producer’s Website: http://www.quinola.es (opens in new window)
Currently available:
2007 Quinola
"Less than 400 cases were produced of Quinola’s 2007 Garagewine. The wine is 100% Tinta de Toro sourced from 90 year old vines planted on sandy soil. It was fermented and aged in new French oak for 21 months. Purple/black in color, it offers up an enthralling nose of earth, mineral, violets, exotic spices, and a confiture of black fruits. Dense, layered, but nicely proportioned, this succulent offering will evolve for 5-7 years. Impeccably balanced and exceptionally long in the finish, it will offer a drinking window extending from 2015 to 2027. " 94 points Wine Advocate #188
Jaime in his converted garage with the barrels of 2009 Quinola