Cropped on October 14 and 15 at ten hectoliters per hectare, the 2009 Alabaster is similar to the 2010 in that it is a little reticent at first and demands coaxing from the glass. There are notes of black currant pastels, cedar and a touch of graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with nicely integrated oak, the tannins not quite as fine as the 2010, but supporting more fruit toward the finish. Blackberry, brine, touches of cedar and orange zest inform the finish, which has good weight but does not quite have the precision of the succeeding two vintages. Drink 2014-2025+. (Both samples of 2007 and 2008 Alabaster are still very youthful.)
Just as many music artists must ponder exactly how they follow up a global smash, so brothers Marcos and Miguel Eguren must have sat down and wondered how they could repeat the success of Numanthia-Termes, after they sold the estate to LVMH. They founded Teso La Monja in 2007. They farm 90 hectares of what they describe as “middle and old vineyards” plus another 72 hectares of “young” vineyard. I asked Miguel to explain his approach towards viticulture. “It is growing the healthiest, purest grapes as possible,” he replied. “The philosophy is to transmit the character and the essence of the land into every bottle of wine. Everything is done with the minimum intervention, the vinification more Burgundian in style than Bordelais, to look for gentle extraction, obtain and look after the tannins in the pips. Therefore, we are seeking a lower degree of natural alcohol. We are looking for the freshness and elegance. We have sought north-facing, high-altitude vineyards with a longer vegetative cycle and we are looking for minerality. Our passion is the vineyard. Our wines are different – we are looking for acidity around 5 or 5.7 because we have a slight limestone concentration. We have also purchased a lot of stony vineyards to minimize the thermal jump at the end of the growing season. We are looking for sugar, aromatic and phenolic ripeness that are closer together. Most of the vineyards are planted on a slope to enhance drainage and the Atlantic winds means that ripeness comes 7 to 10 days later. Less licorice notes, more red rather than dark fruits with higher acidity level and lower alcohol and perhaps less tannic structure, less green tannins because the long vegetative cycle allows us to reach a phenolic ripeness.” There are five lines from the entry level: Romanico, Almirez, Victorino, Alabaster and Teso La Monja. All represent top-class wine as one would expect, though for this writer, the Almirez offers pretty much unbeatable value for money.
Importer: Jorge Ordonez, Fine Estates from Spain, Dedham, MA; tel. (781) 461-5767
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