91 Points Guía Peñín de los vinos de España. A blend of the rare, and local grape variety Rufete, with the well known Tempranillo grape. The Original from Vinos La Zorra comes from 60-plus year old vines, grown in a combination of slate, clay and granite soils. They are then table-sorted and de-stemmed followed by a gentle crushing. Barrel aged for 11 months in 50% French and 50% American oak, combining light and medium toasted barrels, the result is a wine with a noticeable freshness and aromas of red fruit with a gentle hint of oak and sweet spices. Great fruit concentration and a long finish, this is a lovely and very drinkable wine, along with being something interestingly different and a great talking point. 

Tasting Notes

About the Producer

From the forested Sierra de Francia in the province of Salamanca, 250km west of Madrid, Mogarraz, is one of the most picturesque villages in Spain. Wine is in the blood of the Maíllo family, and it was the current owner, Agustin Maillo who turned the family cellar into the commercial producer of Vinos La Zorra whose passion, amongst others, is Rufete, a rare and an interesting indigenous grape variety from the Sierra de Francia and is the best guarded secret in the DO Sierra de Salamanca. 

The Sierra de Francia has a long tradition of winemaking, and although the DO Sierra de Salamanca is relatively young designated wine region, wine has been made here for over 2000 years, and amongst the slopes of San Esteban, you can find pre-Roman cave presses.