Jorge Ordóñez – from the beginning:

When Jorge Ordóñez arrived in the United States in 1987, the international Spanish wine market was bleak. Jorge grew up in Málaga and managed his family’s wholesale wine business before arriving in the United States. As a result, he understood the potential market for Spanish wine in the U.S. For his vision to succeed, however, drastic changes had to occur both in Spain and abroad.

In the U.S., a lifetime of misconception about the caliber of Spanish wine had to be dispelled. Spanish wine was considered low quality, funky, and cheap in a market saturated with French, Californian, and Italian wine. Jorge understood that much of this was the result of external factors, most importantly, poor storage and transportation conditions. He revered the wines of his homeland and was one of the few to recognize the vast potential of Spain’s old, dry-farmed vineyards of Indigenous grapes. He also recognized Franco's detrimental impact on agriculture and the wine industry. It geared towards bulk production and the cooperative system, rather than producing fine wine. Due to these conditions, much of the country’s winemaking needed to be revitalized: cleanliness needed to be a priority, yields needed to be lowered, and some traditional methods needed to be updated. Most importantly, Ordóñez sought to preserve the ancient vineyards of his homeland and fought brazenly against the trend of ripping up indigenous varieties to replant with the more productive international grape varieties. He crusaded to uphold the heritage and character of Spanish wine by highlighting the oldest clones of Spain’s authentic indigenous varieties and by celebrating his homeland’s unique terroir. There was a great deal of risk involved. Ordóñez boldly challenged the international palate by being the first to introduce and champion exotic varietals such as Albariño, Godello, Garnacha, Monastrell, Tinta de Toro, and wines from Txacoli.

Ordóñez established himself as a relentless advocate for the proper handling of wine. He demanded major improvements in the transportation of wine until it reached the U.S. Fine Estates From Spain was the first wine broker in the U.S. to have a refrigerated warehouse in Spain and the first to demand refrigerated shipping and storage at every point of travel to the final market. The decade-long battle was won in the late 90's when Spanish wines were finally recognized for their quality.

As Americans were learning of Ribera del Duero and Albariño, Ordóñez was beginning his first forays into production, searching out D.O.’s where potential was vast – regions covered with old vineyards of Spain's indigenous varieties but where winemaking remained primitive and dominated by cooperatives. In unheralded regions such as Toro, Málaga, Calatayud, Jumilla, Alicante, Montsant, and Valdeorras, Ordóñez partnered with the most talented winemakers to produce fine wines where none existed. These were wines that championed Spain’s oldest, forgotten vineyards. Jorge now owns Grupo Bodegas Ordóñez, a group of five estate wineries that produce wines from these unheralded regions.

Jorge boasts an impressive list of accolades; twice named one of the Top 20 Wine Personalities of the Year by Robert Parker, who also named him one of the most influential wine personalities of the past 20 years. In 1997, he was awarded the Golden Grape Award by Food & Wine Magazine and the Spanish Premio Nacional de Gastronomía. In 2008, Jorge was named Luminary of the Year at the Nantucket Wine Festival, the first time the award had been bestowed. Among these many awards, his proudest achievement has been creating a market for Spanish wine by celebrating its history and indigenous varietals while making Spanish grape growers and winemakers believe that their wines deserve a place alongside the world's greatest wines.

Bodegas Vatan – History & Philosophy:

Toro: Long ago, the town of Toro was famous for producing the finest red wine in Spain and was mentioned in the historical literature of Alfonso IX (King of León, 12th c.), Juan Ruiz, the Archpriest of Hita, Quevedo, Luis de Góngora, and Miguel de Cervantes. In 14th Century Sevilla, the sale of any foreign wine was prohibited, save the wines of Toro. These wines also accompanied Spanish explorers to the New World.

The legendary Duero River plays a vital role in the history of D.O. Toro. The Duero deposited Toro’s characteristic sandy soils in this region thousands of years ago. These sandy soils allowed D.O. Toro to resist the phylloxera plague completely. As a result, Toro was the only Spanish region that completely resisted the phylloxera and is home to the highest concentration of ungrafted vines in Spain.

Jorge Ordóñez is Toro’s most important modern pioneer. When Jorge first traveled to Toro in 1991, he discovered no more than five cooperative wineries. He also found acres of incredible pre-phylloxera vineyards planted on their original rootstock. In 1995, Jorge first traveled to Toro with the Eguren family of Rioja in hopes of founding a winery with them. In 1997, Bodegas Numanthia was founded by Jorge and the Eguren family and became an icon for this historic region and the production of world-class wines from authentic vineyards. By the time Jorge and his associates sold Numanthia to LVMH in 2007, 85 other wineries in D.O. Toro were attempting to emulate the success of Numanthia.

After the sale of Numanthia, Jorge founded Bodegas Ordóñez, his personal project in D.O. Toro. One of the wines produced by Bodegas Ordóñez, Triton, is considered by many to be Toro’s finest value. As Ordóñez himself says, it is an honor and privilege to produce wines from the oldest clones of Tempranillo, planted and cared for with the most traditional methods of viticulture. At Bodegas Ordóñez, Jorge pioneers and champions D.O. Toro as one of the world's finest red wine regions.

Toro is a special region for Jorge and the rest of Jorge Ordóñez Selections because it is perhaps the region that best embodies the Ordóñez philosophy – producing wine from the oldest clones of Spain’s indigenous varieties. The local indigenous grape, Tinta de Toro, is Spain’s oldest and most original clone of Tempranillo. It produces the deepest, most intense expression of Tempranillo in Spain, and it is a grape with a noble history that should be heralded. Bodegas Ordóñez produces wine from ungrafted, head-trained, dry-farmed vineyards of Tinta de Toro planted in 1900, 1916, 1946, and 1962.

Triton is the most affordable wine produced at Bodegas Vatan. It is produced from 100% Tinto de Toro grapes (known elsewhere as Tempranillo) grown in a collection of nine dry-farmed vineyard sights, all at an altitude of nearly 2,500 feet planted between 1900 and 1970. The soils are of sandy loam of sedimentary origins dating back to the end of the Cretaceous period. These are the oldest soils in the Spanish Duero River valley. Many of the soils have an important component of iron where two to three meters below the surface, there is a 25 cm thick layer of red clay. Due to these sandy soils, Toro was the only continental Spanish DO completely resistant to phylloxera. As a result. Bodegas Vatan is able to work exclusively with ungrafted vineyards.

In the winemaking process, sorting is followed by destemming without crushing, and the whole berries are transferred to 5,000L open-top stainless-steel and polymer vats where fermentation lasts between six and eight days. The wine is then pressed in a vertical basket & pneumatic press for eight to twelve hours and is transferred immediately to 2nd through 4th use barriques. The primary fermentation finishes in barrique, and the malolactic fermentation starts spontaneously. The wine rests in a barrel for 12 months, after which it is bottled unclarified, unstabilized, and unfiltered.

James Suckling 93 points - “Fine spices, blackberries, cocoa powder and graphite. This is juicy and flavorful on the palate, with a full body and a heap of dusty tannins. Tight, structured, and pretty long.”

Vinous 92 points – “The 2022 Tritón originates from Toro and has been barrel-aged for up to eight months. Garnet in color. The ripe fruit aromas include blackberry and sour cherry above a backdrop of wild herbs. Rich and indulgent, the firm yet polished tannins and balanced acidity contribute to a long-lasting and overwhelmingly satisfying palate. This is truly a Toro red.”

Guia Penin 93 points – “Color: dark-red cherry. Aroma: toasty, spicy, cocoa bean, black fruit, fruit preserve. Flavour: flavourful, toasty, fine bitter notes.”

Bodegas Vatan “Triton” 2022 Tinta de Toro

With the cold air creeping in, it is time for a big structured red. The deep, dense color and its serious intensity of aromas give the Triton 2022 Tinta del Toro (Tempranillo) a sense of warmth in both its aromas and flavors. In the glass, the rich aromas of dark berries, coffee, and Kirsch are followed by myriad flavors of blackberries, black pepper, currants, wild herbs, black tea, and loamy earth. It has smooth, dusty tannins and a long, rich, indulgent, and completely balanced, dry, lingering finish that does not stop—a true Winter Warmer.

- The Yankee Spirits Wine Team

Regular Price: $23.99

*Sale price is on 6 or more bottle purchase

Wine is packed in a 12-bottle case

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—Yankee Spirits Wine Team

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