2016 Elias Mora Crianza Toro Spain 750 ml

“Follow the river,” our guide said with a wave of his hand. “You know what they say about Toro wines, right?”

We didn’t know. We were in one of Spain’s marquee regions, Ribera del Duero, and heading west after checking “Visit Vega Sicilia” off our bucket list. “Drinking Toro wines is more like eating than drinking. But they’re remarkable on the table, too.” 

After a morning of tasting and an hour driving around the curves of the Duero river to Toro we were starving, but with one sip of Elias Mora’s 2016 Crianza at a roadside tasca we knew exactly what our man had meant: This wine is larger than life—but comes with a minuscule price tag that will easily make it one of your go-to reds. 

Praised by Vinous as “among Spain’s elite,” the 2016 channels the power of Toro’s ancient vines and warm climate into a dense, multifaceted red that magically balances its power with complexity and elegance. Winemaker Victoria Benavides didn’t make the Gran Elias Mora bottling in 2016, meaning those lush grapes made their way into this value-priced Crianza which is a triumph of old-vine grape-growing and winemaking, crafted from 100% Tempranillo.

Spain’s up-and-coming rival to the New World, the wines of Toro deliver the richness and power we’re accustomed to seeing in California Cabs and Aussie red blends, but at bargain prices only the Old World can provide. These wines from northeastern Spain are intense and powerful, yet Elias Mora—thanks to its high-altitude site at nearly 2,200 feet—produces wines that balance the region’s bullish power with elegance and grace. 

Overflowing from the glass with boysenberry, licorice, cloves, and minerality, the Elias Mora Crianza is anchored by the earthy tug of olives, leather, and cigar ash. Despite the local saying, its combination of power and flexibility makes Toro wines sing on the table—alongside paper-thin Iberico ham and grilled lamb our day felt straight from a Spanish postcard. Stateside, this spicy crianza is hard to beat with a juicy cheeseburger.

Enchanted by this wine, we extended our time in Toro to visit the Elias Mora vineyards in person, and were stunned by the vineyards’ resemblance to their pricey neighbors in Rioja and Ribera del Duero. Gnarled bush vines spider their roots through crumbly, rocky soil tinged red by minerals, hunting for precious water reserves, and the few clusters eked out by each bush are supercharged with concentration. 

The terroir was as inspiring to us as it was to the previous owner, who sold the site to Elias Mora in 2000 on the condition that he could tend the vines until his death. That’s the kind of passion this terroir and the rich, voluminous wines it produces inspires. 

Today, winemaker Victoria Benavides focuses solely on Tempranillo, allowing her to understand each vine and its intricacies—primarily soil variation and vine age—to blend the perfect wines. High elevations preserve freshness, supporting the dramatic temperature variation between dry, sweltering afternoons and cold, crisp nights. After harvest, the Crianza is aged for 12 months in used French and American oak barrels, lending the wine a hard-to-resist mix of bright cherry fruit and exotic spice aromas.

Don’t miss this stunning Spanish value—it was well worth the trip.