Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better in the wine world, but that does not mean they should be ignored. Take the Torres label in Spain. They make a lot of wine, and a good bit of it is solid, but rarely much beyond that. They do however make the Gran Coronas Mas la Plana Cabernet which is consistently a serious bottle of red wine, and do occasionally hit home with one of their regular bottlings. We had no expectations from this out-of-towner, Pinedes-centric producer with respect to a Rioja Crianza that we had not seen previously, but the Torres Rioja Crianza Altos Ibéricos 2017 is one of those exceptions.
We’ll be the first to admit that if we saw this wine on someone’s shelf, we likely wouldn’t have given it much thought other than acknowledging it existed. That would not have been fair to the tasty juice in the bottle. Darker fruit and a riper style than typical Riojas in this price range, it gives you a good blast of cassis and black plum fruit with accents of spice, vanilla and damp earth. Soft and easy going, it’s a great pop-and-serve red wine choice given its demeanor and very modest price ($12.98) and a considerably more interesting drink than you will typically find in a red in this kind of price range including, most ‘value’ Cabernets.
James Suckling seemed to take a liking to it as well writing, “Dark cherry, plum, cedar and tobacco on the nose. Full-bodied with chewy tannins. Nicely structured with lively acidity that provides freshness. Chalky and soft texture with a flavorful finish. Drink or hold…92 points.”
Like we said, bigger isn’t necessarily better in wine as a rule. But when they do hit one, those ‘economies of scale’ and established distribution systems can get things on the shelf for surprising prices. A great buy most folks probably wouldn’t give a second look.