The 2007 Alabaster came from pre-phylloxera vines yielding a miniscule half ton of fruit per acre. It went through ML in new French oak before being transferred to a different set of new French oak barrels for 18 months of aging. Glycerin oozes down the glass of this remarkably rich effort. Purple/black colored, it offers up a brooding nose of licorice, fresh tar, black cherry, and blackberry. On the palate it is full-bodied, dense, and chewy, but in balance. This behemoth demands 8-10 years of cellaring but should ultimately reward patient cellaring in a big way. Bodegas Teso La Monja is the Eguren family’s new project in Toro featuring a state of the art winery and old vines of Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo). The sandy soils here meant that phylloxera never took hold so that most of the vines are ungrafted. Importer: Jorge Ordonez, Fine Estates from Spain, Dedham, MA: Tel: (781) 461-5767

Dense, focused and balanced, this powerful red is restrained now, but there's a core of plum and blackberry fruit, with judicious oak, plenty of concentration and a long, mineral-tinged finish. Drink now through 2020. 50 cases imported.??–TM??Region: Spain / Toro Select to Add

Make room in the cellar for this heavyweight! Talk about a monster wine; but there’s also finesse, character and style to it. Alabaster is the top wine from the Eguren family’s new Toro winery, and it’s big, tannic and loaded with spice, molasses and syrupy black fruit flavors. Rich, long and fierce on the finish, with tannins and heat to resolve. Best from 2012 through 2020.——M.S.(6/1/2010)—— 94