The product image is for illustrative purposes only and may not exactly reflect the actual characteristics of the wine.
The wine
- Colour
- Rosso
- Alcohol
- 14.5% vol
Critics' scores
- Robert Parker / Wine Advocate 93
The 2012 VS is a special selection of Tempranillo from two plots of older vineyards, one in Transpinedo and another one Tudela de Duero (La Oliva), aged for 36 months in oak barrels (including malolactic) with a classical blend of 80% French oak and the rest American. 2012 is a warm and dry year, and the VS can be considered classical in this vintage. The wine is ripe and has taken the oak quite generously. But it does have lots of fruit and feels quite forward, with more blackberry aromas from a very accessible and lush vintage. This is creamier and very nice now, but I preferred the 2013 that I tasted side by side with it.
The producer: Bodegas Mauro
Bodegas Mauro sits just outside of the Ribera del Duero appellation, in the historic town of Tudela de Duero. Established in the 1970s by Mariano García, the former winemaker of the famous Vega Sicilia estate, he now owns two benchmark estates in Spain. With a rather small production of about 280,000 bottles a year, the 74-hectare estate is farmed organically preserving their grand terroir. Mauro produces three reds. Their forward-styled lavish Mauro. Their Mauro VS (Vendimia Seleccionada), which is crafted by only the best vines and experiences a longer ageing period. And lastly, their all-encompassing single-vineyard cuvée, Terreus, which is produced only in the best years. By the mid-1990s, García decided to open up another winery in Toro named Bodegas y Viñedos Maurodos. Today, it is one of the most influential estates in the region. Planted with Garnacha and Tinta de Toro, this 80-hectare property produces two wines. San Román is a structured, opulent wine, the tannins and oak build in the bottle making five or six years of ageing a worthwhile bet. While their second label, Prima, offers a typical full-bodied, and dark-fruited style at a great value.