“The latest releases from Dominio de Tares are uniformly outstanding”Jay Miller, The Wine Advocate
“The first vintage was 2001 and the results are astonishing.”John Radford, The New Spain.
Dominio de Tares is producing some of Spain’s most delicious new-wave reds. They are situated in Bierzo, certainly one of the most exciting ‘new’ red region/wine to have emerged for some time. The red grape variety grown here is Mencía, producing wines that are fantastically aromatic, textured and complex. While the wines are opulent, the high altitude at which they are grown lends a brightness to the fruit flavours and aromas, a cleansing freshness and powdery structure while the rocky soils adds a minerally, earthy edge.
Dominio de Tares was formed in 2000 by an enthusiastic group of locals including Mario Rico and Amancio Fernández, with the objective of leading a quality resurgence following years of neglect in the area. Given Bierzo's fresh/mineral terroir and the old Mencía vines, quality at the highest level was an immediate possibility. Amancio, one of Spain's brightest young oenologists, brought intimate knowledge of local viticulture to bear, working from the start with the area's most serious growers in order to obtain the very best fruit.
We are currently working with one cuvee, the super-value “Baltos”, a 100% old-vine Mencía (forty years old) which is aged for six months in barriques. Having achieved “Top 100” status with the inaugural 2001 bottling, the current incarnation is a more ‘mature’ (less showy) and naturally assured offering. The vines are located in Cabanelas near the village of Valtuille de Abajo, whose smooth hillsides face south at an altitude of 500 metres above sea level and where clay and calcareous soils with small fragments of ferric slates which produce extremely low yields. The current release (2009) is an excellent, elegant and individual Bierzo that revels in a nose of earth, mineral, pencil lead, and red and black cherry. The palate is ripe, balanced, spicy, and wonderfully textured.
We are currently working with one cuvee from this quality outfit, the super-value "Baltos", a 100% old-vine Mencía (forty years old) which is aged for six months in barriques. Having achieved "Top... read more
"The 2004 Pago Tres is similarly styled to the 2003 but with more volume to the aromas and flavors. It should be cellared for 4-6 years (although the fruit is a bit riper and sweeter) and will... read more
