El Albar

Located in the western extreme of the Duero Valley, not far from Rueda, Toro is one of the oldest viticultural regions in Spain. The severe climate and poor rocky soils of the area produce rich, vigorous wines from the dominant red variety, Tinto de Toro, a clonal variant of Tempranillo.

The vineyards of El Albar's wines straddle the Douro River, near the town of Toro, in deeply gravelly, sandy soil with large, rusty rocks that reflect warmth and sunlight onto the land. The resulting grapes are concentrated and mature. Although the yield is naturally low, negociant François Lurton is highly selective when picking the fruit for pressing. They are hand-sorted and transferred without pumping to small concrete vats.