Xavier Iturria was trained in Bordeaux which accounts for the relatively restrained style of Toro that he produces. He has 5 hectares of high altitude vines, the majority of which are Tinta de Toro, the local, rather darker version of the Tempranillo grape.

The vines are gnarled and old (up to 70 years of age) and ungrafted. This in itself is quite a rarity as almost all the ungrafted vines in Europe were wiped out by the Phylloxera bug in the late 1800s. Finding vines that have not been grafted onto American rootstock (the only way to outwit the bugs) is very rare.

The Wine.

Made from 100% Tinta de Toro and aged briefly in French oak, the Viña de Segundo 2018 is medium bodied, fresh and aromatic with ripe cherry and raspberry fruit and fine grained tannins. It is slightly lighter in style than the other two reds that Xavier produces, and has a vibrancy and tension that makes it incredibly more-ish.

Offered: February 2021.

Alcohol: 14%.

Vintage report: A rainy winter and a long, hot summer produced a large, high quality vintage. Wines are on the fuller side but balanced.

Drinking window: 2021 – 2024.

Food matching: Drink with roast lamb, other grilled meats or hard cheeses.