Vega Sicilia : Pintia 2021

Characteristics and tasting notes for Pintia 2021

Tasting

Colour
The colour reveals a deep purple hue with intense, brilliant violet highlights.

Nose
The nose reveals fine aromatic complexity dominated by opulent notes of blueberry and violet. Aromas of black cherry, blackberry and ripe stone fruit add richness, while spicy touches of black pepper, clove and cinnamon bring further nuance. Subtle notes of graphite, slate and dark earth evoke the rocky terroir, rounded out by delicate hints of cedar and sandalwood.

Palate
On the palate, this wine offers an impressive structure and beautiful balance. It reveals remarkable concentration with intense flavours of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry. The tannins, abundant and typical of Tinta de Toro, are refined and silky, with a velvety texture and excellent integration. The wine displays a vibrant, opulent character while retaining remarkable freshness thanks to a well-present acidity that brings precision and balance. The finish stands out for its impressive length, revealing further layers of spice, earth and subtle bitter notes that add complexity and interest.

Food and wine pairing
This Pintia 2021 pairs perfectly with grilled or roasted red meats, particularly lamb and beef. It also matches beautifully with game such as venison or wild boar, as well as with traditional Iberian pork preparations. Pasta dishes with meat-based sauces, such as pappardelle with wild boar ragù, also make excellent pairings.

Service and storage
Pintia 2021 is best enjoyed at a temperature between 16 and 18°C. It is recommended to open the bottle one to two hours before serving to allow the aromas to fully develop. Decanting may be useful to separate any sediment. This wine can be enjoyed now but will continue to evolve favourably until around 2040.

An elegant and refined Toro wine from Bodegas Pintia

The estate
Bodegas Pintia was founded in 2001 by the Álvarez family, owners of the prestigious TEMPOS Vega Sicilia group. Located in San Román de Hornija, within the Toro appellation at the heart of Castilla y León, the estate spans approximately one hundred and ten hectares of vines. Now led by Marta Álvarez Mezquíriz as president and Pablo and Emilio Álvarez Mezquíriz as general directors, Bodegas Pintia embodies the group's philosophy: producing exceptional wines in limited quantities. The estate is distinguished by its commitment to capturing elegance within a terroir renowned for its rustic character, transforming Toro's natural power into refined, sophisticated expressions.

The vineyard
The vineyard behind Pintia 2021 is located in the Toro region, across the municipalities of San Román de Hornija and Pedrosa del Rey, at an altitude of around seven hundred metres. The main plots, Garabitas and Los Hoyos, feature alluvial soils formed by historical deposits from the Duero River, with varied compositions ranging from deep gravel to rockier soils near the surface. The vines, with an average age of thirty-five years, are planted at a density of around one thousand vines per hectare. Remarkably, nearly two-thirds of the vines grow on their own, ungrafted roots, reflecting a rare viticultural heritage. The extreme continental climate, with harsh winters and scorching summers, together with low annual rainfall of around three hundred fifty to four hundred millimetres, shapes the unique character of this terroir.

The vintage
The 2021 vintage stands out as a particularly cool and elegant year for the Toro region. Unlike previous years marked by heat, 2021 benefited from cooler temperatures during the growing season and three unusual rainfall episodes in September. This rainfall helped extend the ripening period and avoid the rapid overripening typical of Toro. The harvest took place between mid-September and early October under excellent conditions, allowing the team to methodically select plots at the optimal moment of ripeness. This cool year produced grapes with beautiful concentration while retaining remarkable freshness and acidity.

Winemaking and aging
The grapes for Pintia 2021 were harvested by hand with a rigorous selection of bunches, placed in twelve-kilogram crates. After twelve hours in a cold chamber, the grapes underwent a double selection before a five-day cold maceration in oak vats. Fermentation took place in stainless steel and wooden vats with indigenous yeasts, following gentle extraction protocols that favour finesse. Malolactic fermentation was carried out mainly in stainless steel tanks. Aging lasted around ten to eleven months, with seventy percent of the wine aged in new barrels made up of seventy-five percent French oak and twenty-five percent American oak, while the remaining thirty percent was divided between stainless steel tanks, foudres and Italian amphorae. Bottling took place in April 2023.

Grape variety
100% Tinta de Toro