An outstanding wine; very deep, dark, dense and complex, with cigar box, pencil lead and blackberry on the fragrant nose, which has a lovely Cabernet quality. The ripeness is spot on, backed by wonderful, high-quality, velvety tannins and the capacity to age for another decade (14.5%).
£71.99 Fells
Miguel Torres, Reserva Real is a wine created to mark the visit of King Juan Carlos to the Torres winery during its 125th anniversary in 1995, Reserva Real also celebrates a unique vineyard in Penedès.
The Santa Margarita of Agulladolç estate covers just four hectares on a site that sits at 400m altitude and also boasts a beautiful 11th-century Romanesque ermita (chapel).
The shallow, stoney soils persuaded the Torres family that this might be the perfect spot for a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Average temperatures are 15°C, but 2010 was cooler still at 13.5°C, and quite wet, with 200mm more rainfall than average. This Trophy winner – of which just 200 cases were made – spent 18 months in new French oak.
In an always keenly fought International Trophy category, Reserva Real fought off competition from a pair of Bordeaux wines, two Tuscans, plus fine esamples from Argentina, Hungary, Australia and South Africa. It was the Spanish wine’s depth that really impressed the judges, as well as its perfect balance and, nearly five years in, excellent potential for further ageing.
It’s another victory for this historic family winery, Miguel Torres who followed multiple past DWWA Golds, and an International Trophy and Best in Show award for its Altos Ibéricos Crianza 2011 in last year’s Decanter Asia Wine Awards.
The 4ha Santa Margarita of Agulladolç vineyard boasts a 11th-century Romanesque chapel
Tasted against
Campo alla Sughera, Adèo, Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy 2012 • Château Haut Condissas, Médoc, Bordeaux, France 2011 • Château La Patache, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France 2012 • Delaire Graff, Botmaskop, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2012 • Fabre Montmayou, Cabernet Franc Reservado, Mendoza, Argentina 2014 • Leconfield, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, South Australia 2013 • Pakravan-Papi, Cancellaia di Riparbella, Tuscany, Italy 2010 • Sauska, Cabernet.
