Bodega Elías Mora, Toro (Castilla y León, Spain) 2020

 Wine lovers who don’t know the history and caliber of the Toro appellation (located to the northwest of Madrid) may well bridle at a price of $40 for a wine designated as “Crianza,” so a bit of background is in order.  “Crianza” is a word made famous in Rioja, where it really only serves to indicate a wine that was oak aged, often in rather raw wood that imparts more flavor to the finished wine than the liquid in the bottle.  This, in turn, was (and is still) often explained by the fact that high-yielding clones of Tempranillo were developed to enable big wineries to crank out inexpensive wines juked up with all that oak and sell them in supermarkets all over the world — as well as in beach towns to foreign tourists all the way back in the Franco era during the 1960s and ’70s.  Toro was never in that game, commercially speaking, and was never invaded by those high-yielding clones (though a few producers have used them), so the very appearance of the word “Crianza” on the label of this wine from this excellent producer is really only intended to distinguish the pecking order of the wines within the lineup of releases.  My opinion is that the presence of the word does more harm than good, but then, nobody asked me.  Regarding the wine, my opinion is that it is packed with ripe, delicious fruit flavor that easily outruns the considerable oak that is also evident, but utilized in this to guarantee longevity and add complexity.  Quite nicely proportioned on a big frame, this a powerful and intense without being heavy, with purity of fruit (a hallmark of this house) that keeps the oak at bay.  Already delicious, but better in five years, and likely much better in ten.