Out of the Toro region of Spain comes Matsu, which means wait in Japanese, paying homage to three generations of viticulturists and winemakers. And that shows on the unique labels, as different faces of each generation are shown by the age of the vineyards and the wine's oak aging, quality, and also personality.
El Pícaro 2016 (pícaro means rogue) represents youth, El Recio 2015 (recio means strong) represents maturity, and El Viejo 2015 (viejo means old) represents wisdom. I'm reviewing all three, and this is the conclusion with El Viejo 2015.
This is 100% Tinta de Toro (AKA Tempranillo) manually harvested from vineyards more than one-hundred years old. Fermentation and maceration takes three weeks in small concrete deposits with natural yeast, and then softly pressed with a pnuematic press. It spends sixteen months in new French oak barrels before being bottled without filtration or use of any "aggressive" clarifier. The final ABV is 15%.
The color of the wine is a dark inky purple that reminds me of my soul. Stewed plums and blackberry sauce lurch over the glass flexing their muscles. Break through the jammy guardians and you'll also find tarragon, salted almonds, and black pepper. It's medium bodied with a velvety yet rich mouthfeel, and a tart acidity that's kept in check by big grippy tannins. Blackberries and prunes combine to make a heavenly dark fruit profile, joined by vanilla and caramel. Then it finishes with a crazy long finish of black raspberries, black pepper, and caramel, with the tannin drying your mouth as the acidity wets it.
This wine is so dark and powerful and... gloomy. It's Batman. This wine is Batman. I can hear it demanding justice. It's just phenomenal, absolutely outstanding, and I can't recommend it enough. I love it when the best is saved for last. Bravo, Matsu!
This is 100% Tinta de Toro (AKA Tempranillo) manually harvested from vineyards more than one-hundred years old. Fermentation and maceration takes three weeks in small concrete deposits with natural yeast, and then softly pressed with a pnuematic press. It spends sixteen months in new French oak barrels before being bottled without filtration or use of any "aggressive" clarifier. The final ABV is 15%.
The color of the wine is a dark inky purple that reminds me of my soul. Stewed plums and blackberry sauce lurch over the glass flexing their muscles. Break through the jammy guardians and you'll also find tarragon, salted almonds, and black pepper. It's medium bodied with a velvety yet rich mouthfeel, and a tart acidity that's kept in check by big grippy tannins. Blackberries and prunes combine to make a heavenly dark fruit profile, joined by vanilla and caramel. Then it finishes with a crazy long finish of black raspberries, black pepper, and caramel, with the tannin drying your mouth as the acidity wets it.
This wine is so dark and powerful and... gloomy. It's Batman. This wine is Batman. I can hear it demanding justice. It's just phenomenal, absolutely outstanding, and I can't recommend it enough. I love it when the best is saved for last. Bravo, Matsu!
QUALITY VS PRICE RATING
Price: $47
Rating: 5/5 = Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)
The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
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