Bodegas Elías Mora is located in the village of San Roman de Hornija, in the Toro Denomination of Origin, in Spain. The D.O. Toro is an appellation that straddles two Spanish provinces, Valladolid and Zamora. The winery created by Victoria Benavides took the name Elías Mora in honor of the winemaker who was the first to sell her grapes and support her in her endeavors when she moved to the area.
Victoria Benavides’ background
Originally from Valladolid, Victoria studied agronomy before taking wine tasting courses. She then trained as an oenologist in Bordeaux before working at Protos and Pesquera with Alejandro Fernandez, among others. She completed her studies with a diploma in sensory analysis and tasting from the University of Wine in Suze-la-Rousse, France. The tasting aspect is really what Victoria is most passionate about in the world of wine. In 1998 she founded the winery and in 2000 she produced her first vintage.
Why Toro ?
When Victoria began her career in wine, she worked in the Ribera del Duero. At that time, the area was booming and investors were pouring in. However, no one wanted to move to Toro and people often had a negative perception of the area. So while it was easier to get access to vineyards, it was a huge challenge to get people to recognize that you could grow really high quality grapes here.
Another important factor in Victoria’s decision to settle in Toro is that the area has never experienced phylloxera, “Each vineyard has had its own evolution and the area is full of a multitude of parcels, each with its own characteristics. So the notion of terroir is very strong here,” adds Victoria. The D.O. Toro is still very young, only officially recognized in 1987. At that time, only 7 rather traditional wineries were producing wine in the region. At the beginning, it was not easy for Victoria to start, because buying even grapes was not easy… First, because she was a woman, but also because she did not come from a family of wine growers. Today, fortunately, attitudes have changed and Victoria runs a 12-hectare estate planted almost exclusively with the tinta de toro grape.
Tinta de Toro
Tinta de Toro is a grape variety indigenous to the Toro region. It is said to be a clone of tempranillo, which over the centuries has adapted to the local terroir. It produces grapes with more tannins and color than the tempranillo. For a long time it was said that the tinta de toro could not stand aging in barrels and that it oxidized very easily. So it was quite a challenge to prove that we could make elegant wines with potential from this variety. Most of the Tinta de Toro vines are pre-phylloxera and planted free-standing (no rootstock). The D.O. Toro allows the production of white wine, but only from malvasía (a minimum of 75%) and verdejo. The D.O. requires a minimum of 85% tinta de toro in its red wines (most blends are completed with garnacha), but Bodegas Elías Mora has decided to produce only 100% tinta de toro.
Bodegas Elías Mora Vineyard
The vineyard is located at an average altitude of 800 meters. The vineyards are between 20 and 80 years old. The climate is dry continental, with cold winters and very hot summers, and less than 400 millimeters of rain per year. The soils are very diverse from one plot to another, but are mostly clay and limestone, with large rocks that accumulate heat during the day and release it at night, as the daily thermal amplitudes can be quite high in the region. The vineyard is located in a very windy area, which means that the constant aeration keeps the vines very healthy. There is very little humidity, so there is little or no disease, and the vineyard is treated with sulfur only two or three times a year. Harvesting is done by hand. A first selection of grapes is made in the vineyard during the harvest, a second one at the bodega, for an optimal grape quality. The estate produces an average of only 200,000 bottles per year, which is not a lot for a wine estate in Spain.
The Wines
Victoria Benavides claims a romantic vision of wine. According to her, one should not force nature or try to transform it, but rather interpret and accompany it. We fight a lot against nature and its effects instead of trying to live in harmony with nature,” she says. Her wines are a reflection of this philosophy.
Bodegas Elías Mora produces 6 wines:
- Viñas Elías Mora: 15 to 20 year old vines, aged for 6 months in American oak barrels, about 120,000 bottles per year, 8.95 euros;
- Elías Mora Crianza: 40-50 year old vines, 12 months in French and American oak barrels, about 40,000 bottles per year, 11.80 euros;
- Descarte: 12 months in French oak barrels, 10,000 bottles per year, 18 euros;
- Elías Mora Reserva: 24 months in French oak barrels, about 1,500 bottles per year, 37 euros;
- Gran Elías Mora: wine from a single plot, 17 months in French oak barrels, no more than 6,000 bottles per year, 26.30 euros.
- 2V Premium: 17 months in new French oak barrels, about 1,500 bottles per year, 47.50 euros.
Visit Bodegas Elías Mora
Juan Mora S/N 47 530 San Román de Hornija
Phone: + 34 983 784 029
info@bodegaseliasmora.com
bodegaseliasmora.com
If you decide to visit the vineyard, take the opportunity to visit the two beautiful towns of Toro and Zamora. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to see Zamora, only Toro. This gives me a reason to come back to the area! If you’re looking for a great restaurant to eat at after the winery tour, Victoria recommends El Chivo, in the town of Morales de Toro.
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