San Román, Toro (Castilla y León, Spain) 2017

 taste this wine every year, and find it easy to recommend every year on account of its great consistency of style, but this 2017 stands as a departure.  It is very ripe (but not pruny at all, nor hot with alcohol), and shows this in the form of very soft, succulent fruit that is much more open and flamboyant than usual.  Additionally, this is the first release of the wine I’ve tasted that shows a slightly funky, earthy, Brettanomyces character, which actually makes the wine interestingly wild and more complex than usual.  The Brett does not overwhelm the wine at all (just makes it seem French!), though it will make drinking this earlier rather than later advisable.  That’s hardly a sacrifice or a flaw, as the ripe fruit makes this totally enjoyable now.  Food pairing?  Easy:  garlicky braised lamb shanks.  Bingo!