The Antón family (of Izadi and Finca Villacreces) have also invested in the Toro DO, purchasing 20 hectares of Tinta de Toro (the local name for Tempranillo) vines in 2003 for their Vetus project. These 25 to 60-year-old, south-facing vineyards are located on sandy and clay soils in Villabuena del Puente.

Growing conditions in this area are extreme, with cold winters, frost, strong winds and hot summers all presenting huge viticultural challenges. The vineyard’s poor soils create low yields, resulting in wines with excellent flavour and colour intensity. However, high temperatures and 3,000 sunshine hours per year can bring high alcohol levels without effective vine canopy management.

Vetus’ ‘Flor de Vetus’ Toro, is made from 100% Tinto de Toro and has a deep, black cherry colour with expressive aromas of red and black berry fruits and touches of spice from time spent in American and French oak. It offers a fresher, more accessible style, designed to be drunk in its youth, compared to its more premium Toro counterpart which spends more time in bottle before release. Vetus’ Toro is well structured, with robust tannins that are typical of the DO and bright aromas of red berry fruit, smoke, toast and oak. The resulting wine is well-balanced, with a long, powerful finish. This complexity is in part due to the wine being matured in new, French oak barrels.

The Antón family also own vineyards in Rueda, to the east of the Toro DO. The ‘Flor de Vetus’ Rueda is made from 100% Verdejo, sourced from an 80-year-old vineyard planted at an elevation of 820 metres in the cool area of Segovia, giving a crisp and fresh style of white wine.