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Half Price Austerity in Toro
Most were skeptical when the news hit. Jean-Francois Hebrard, widely considered the most talented young enologist in the Rhone, had received a single phone call, taken a short trip south of the border, and returned only to pack his bags. The guy who had spent years at the side of Vernay in Condrieu, Gerin in Cote Rotie, and Sabon at 100pt La Janasse in Chateauneuf, was on his way to Spain -- and no one sipping Pastis on the square in Chateauneuf seemed to understand why.
Over the next six months, one by one, his star-studded French client list would make the pilgrimage to Toro. The call, they learned, had come from Javier Ausas, the regisseur at Vega Sicilia, Spain's answer to Lafite Rothschild. And while the group knew all about the persuasiveness of Ausas, it wouldn't be until Sabon and Gerin eyeballed these 70-year-old Tempranillo vines -- somehow flourishing on undulating beach sand hillsides -- that the Rhone's greatest names finally understood.
The 2006 Quinta de la Quietud is not only the most concentrated, but the most elegant release from Hebrard since he first laid eyes on Toro. Deep purple-black in color with explosive aromas of blackberry and raspberry preserves, infused with sweet herbs, underbrush and the requisite pine needles. The attack here is massive, filled with dark red and black fruits, warm, voluminous and like so few of the reds of Spain, marvelously sleek and elegant.
Just three years after the Rhone pilgrimage, the critics swarmed over Quietud, dropping 93pt scores, rave reviews, and a spot on the shortlist for "Spanish Wine of the Year." Hebrard's star was skyrocketing, soon to be fueled by the Common Market money faucet.
In retrospect, Hebrard couldn't have timed it better. Cheap loans were flowing from the central bank into Spain, much of it showered on fledgling bodegas. Quietud took full advantage, investing heavily in the old vines, if more cautiously in the cellar. When Jean-Francois camped out on our couch for a few nights in 2007, he was on top of the world. The vineyard was magnificent. The wines in barrel blew away his former Rhone Valley clients. With the press in the palm of his hands, Hebrard was looking for the next property. The greatest Spanish wine story ever told seemed poised for publication.
But less than two years later, black clouds coated Spanish skies. The wheels were falling off Spain's real estate market, the lynchpin to growth. Unemployment soared towards 20%. The bond rate passed 7%, on its way to 10%. With Europe suddenly on the brink, the sound of euros gushing from the Central Bank faucet were replaced by northern European chants for "Austerity."
In the last couple of years, few estates on WineAccess have struck such a common, high-scoring chord. Hebrard's world class, ancient vine Quinta de la Quietud has garnered an aggregate rating of 4.05 stars out of five. With a release price of $45/bottle, in the Spanish wine market of 2009, Quietud was a bargain. But now, with the internal economy on the edge of the precipice, even the great Quinta de la Quietud can hear the whir of the Spanish whipsaw.
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Tasting Notes
2006 Quinta de la Quietud Toro
"Deep purple to the edge. Explosive aromas of raspberry jam, sweet herbs and pine needles. Rich, warm and voluminous on the attack, packed with raspberry/blackberry sumptuousness, sleek, silken and complex, all bracketed by sumptuous old vine persistence. Drink now for its (still) primary fruit hedonism or age for 7-10 years in the coolest of cellars."
-- WineAccess Travel Log
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*Important Shipping Information
- This is a Pre-Arrival Offer: Weather permitting, wine will begin shipping upon arrival, in early December 2012.
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