'It's time to meet and get to know the fifth generation': Torres masterclass preview

Spain and Portugal Encounter 2014

Whether you're already a fan of Torres or want to discover some of the best single-vineyard wines Spain has to offer, next month's London tasting is set to be exceptional. Sarah Jane Evans MW previews what the masterclass has in store, and introduces the nine featured wines...

At the Spain and Portugal Fine Wine Encounter on 22 February, there’s an excellent opportunity to discover what is happening in Penedes today with a series of vertical tastings. The host is a family member of one of the great names in Spanish winemaking who will be showcasing their single vineyard wines. The family in question is Torres and they have been involved in winemaking for three centuries. They remain a family business based in Penedes but with a global reputation.

For the Decanter tasting Mireia Torres, Technical Director, has brought together an exceptional selection of single vineyard wines. Each of these projects was originally planned and developed by company President Miguel A Torres, the fourth generation. Now his children, daughter Mireia and son Miguel, are taking on the management of the business. Time to meet and get to know the fifth generation.

Mireia Torres will draw on her experience in winemaking to lead the tasting through her family’s history. The first wines in the flight are the Milmanda Chardonnays, from a beautiful vineyard site at the foot of a medieval castle. The winemaking is Burgundian in style, fermented and matured in French oak. The 2010 vintage comes much garlanded with awards; compare it with the maturity of the 2008 and consider the promise of the 2012.

From Chardonnay to Cabernet sauvignon: next comes Mas La Plana. A Spanish Cabernet, in a Burgundy bottle, this seemed unlikely to succeed when it first appeared. Yet in the Paris Wine Olympiad, the 1970 vintage was rated more highly than a number of famous names, including Chateau Latour. In their Penedes vineyards, Torres have found great terroir for a wine with a long pedigree. Again, 2009 comes very highly rated, but how does it compare with the 1983 in magnum. How much have styles of winemaking changed? This is a great opportunity to discover this with Mireia Torres.

There follow the wines of Jean Leon. Leon was a Spaniard who lived and worked in the USA among some of the Hollywood greats. Miguel Torres took on the vineyards when he died and Mireia in her turn inherited the management of them. The Jean Leon vineyards contain some of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays in Spain. Today the vineyards are certified organic.

Finally where better to finish than with a flight of Grans Muralles? As the name suggests the wine takes its name from the great walls that protected the monastery at Poblet. The wines reflect the energy of Torres in recuperating disappearing varieties such as Garro and Samso. The soil is the unmistakable slate known as llicorella; and these are wines that speak very clearly of where they are grown. Served in magnum, the 2001 and 2007 should be full of life.