R. Parker (94/100)
Vintages are therefore selling a little faster now and I tasted the 2011 Pintia, which is produced with the local strain of Tempranillo called Tinta de Toro from, head-pruned, mostly ungrafted, old vineyards (40 to 60 years of age) that were harvested quite early and quickly (50 tons of grapes per day!), September 13-18, to preserve the freshness in a very warm, ripe vintage. The wine matured for one year in mostly French oak barrels and is dark and ripe, but surprisingly fresh for a very warm vintage. The early harvesting has paid back and has provided for a wine that shows the character of the place, with that slight rusticity – especially if compared with Alion – true to its birthplace and the vintage, with notes of tree bark and damsons, spicy oak and a faint reductive character when uncorked. It would benefit from decanting in advance, and notes of beef blood emerge with time in the glass. The palate is medium to full-bodied with juicy tannins and a supple texture that fills your mouth, ending with a pleasant bitter note. This is a generous, big, ripe wine getting civilized and more elegant by the year, still a little marked by toasted oak, but developing different notes with time, becoming very meaty and showy. The 2011 will be released in 2015. 190,000 bottles produced. Drink 2015-2019.