2003 Campo Eliseo Toro

Campo Eliseo is in the Toro region of Northwest Spain. It was created in 2000 by wine industry entrepreneur Francois Lurton and celebrity winemaker Michel Rolland. The business partners wanted to make a 100% Tempranillo. The first vintage was the 2003 and a second wine, Campo Alegre, was released in 2007. Campo Eliseo wines have earned ratings in the low- to mid-90s from many reviewers.

Toro is a relatively small appellation with a rapidly rising reputation. Located in the province of Zamora near the northeastern corner of Portugal, Toro has 13,000 vineyard acres with appellation status. Like most of the region it sits on a high plateau of sand, clay and lime where summers are hot and dry and winters are harsh. The main red grape here is the local clone of Tempranillo, called Tinta de Toro, and Garnacha. The white grapes Verdejo and Malvasia are also grown. Most of the reds are 100% Tinta de Toro. The devastating 19th century phylloxera crisis, which killed grapevines throughout Bordeaux, did not reach Toro, thanks, it is thought, to Toro’s sandy soil. Toro later exported some of its healthy vines to France. Toro also has vineyards of pre-phylloxera vines, meaning that some special cuvées from Toro are made from vines that are more than 150 years old. The Toro DO was created in 1987. The legendary Bodega Numanthia is in the Toro appellation.

Think leather and cherries together for Tempranillo wines. This wine looks lighter than it is. It can be medium or full bodied, but its thin-skinned, big grapes, give it a more transparent appearance. It is grown in Spain, Portugal, the U.S. and Australia.