Good Morning Gentle Readers,
Miguel Torres winery is mega. It ain't WEC. It ain't Gallo, it isn't even Robert Mondavi, but moving that direction, with a resolution to the problem of family succession that plagued Mondavi and Gallo both. Nobody wanted to retire and, well, you know how those Italian boys are. At Torres, the family members face mandatory retirement at 65. The CEO? 70, tops.
Torres is a Spanish winery dating back at least four generations and was the first foreign winery to set up shop in the Central Valley of Chile in 1979. Today they account for about 1% of Chilean wine exports. Torres is big on au natural and the Tormenta is fashioned from organically grown grapes which are IMO certified. That's something akin to an Underwriters Laboratory cert for farmers and is less susceptible to political pressure and outright manipulation than either the EU designation or the USDA's.
But is the organic wine worth drinking? Short answer is: yes. In the glass it's the color of expensive rubies and bone dry. It is 100% Cabernet and is more in keeping with the stylings of Bordeaux than the big fruit forward offerings of California.
Pretty good for under ten bucks American.
Winemaker's notes:
Ruby red with fiery glints. Exquisite varietal aroma on a rich base of leather and licorice. With typically silky tannins on the palate and an elegant finish.
Review of 2006 Tormenta here.
As Ever,
TWC
Photo Credit (unless otherwise noted): ©TWC, all rights reserved
