Matsu El Pícaro 2023 is a red that’s got the traditional potency of Toro wines but touches of freshness and elegance that make it very pleasant to drink, with a hint of sweetness. Made from grapes from a selection of old, low-yielding Tinta de Toro vineyards, it’s the most straightforward and casual wine produced by Matsu, a winery belonging to the powerful, innovative Vintae group.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
Consumption time
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
100% Tinta de Toro
Type of bottle
Truncated cone
Capacity (cl)
75
Alcohol content (% vol.)
14
General Information
Made wholly from Tinta de Toro grapes, Matsu El Pícaro 2023 comes from a year with a very rainy winter and spring and a very hot summer, resulting in an early harvest. The September rain helped balance the ripeness and achieve highly aromatic wines. It was grown on a selection of low-yielding old vines cultivated in sandy soils with a high granitic pebble content using natural methods.
After being picked by hand, the grapes were transported to the winery, where they underwent spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts in 15,000-kg concrete vats at temperatures no higher than 24º C, followed by malolactic fermentation in the same vats and ending with two months on the lees in concrete tanks.
Bodega Matsu is a winery owned by Vintae, a company that started out in La Rioja in the late 1990s and began expanding into other areas in the 2000s. Its technical director, Raúl Acha, had his sights set on the D.O. Toro, attracted by the potential of the old vineyards in this part of Zamora with sandy soils ideally suited to vines and a continental climate perfect for avoiding diseases and applying natural grape-growing practices. Matsu came into being in 2005 and brought out its first wine the following year.
The winery’s name means ‘wait’ in Japanese and is designed to reflect the firm’s philosophy: to respect the course of nature and use traditional grape-growing methods. Its range of wines consists of the brands El Pícaro, El Recio and El Viejo, whose labels depict the faces of a young, middle-aged and old man respectively – a tribute to the different generations of grape growers in the region.
Matsu El Pícaro 2023 (D.O. Toro) is perfect with rabbit stew with potatoes or lamb hotpot with mushrooms.
Creators' opinion
Appearance: Purplish colour with intense pigmentation denoting its youth.
Nose: Aromas of fruit, gumdrops and blackberry jam, beautifully blended with a touch of liquorice that lends it a spicy character and complexity.
Palate: Intense and potent with a very pleasant sweetness on the attack.
The winery
Bodega Matsu is a project by Vintae, a wine company born in La Rioja in the late nineties. Starting in 2003, it began expanding to other winemaking regions beyond Rioja, producing wines in Ribera del Duero, Ribera del Queiles, and Navarra. Shortly after, attracted by the extraordinary characteristics of the D.O. Toro, Vintae’s technical director and winemaker, Raúl Acha, started exploring the vineyards of Toro. What drew him to this region was its tradition of minimal intervention in the vineyard, made possible by the denomination’s climatic conditions, with very low humidity and sandy soils. Added to this tradition is the rich heritage of old vines of extraordinary quality, as well as the strength and character of the Tinta de Toro grape.
In 2006, the first vintage of Matsu was crafted, initially with just one wine: El Viejo. Two vintages later, two more wines were added: El Pícaro and El Recio. Matsu, which means "to wait" in Japanese, is a tribute to all the winegrowers who, over generations, have worked the vineyards with dedication, wisdom, and sacrifice. The labels, featuring a young man, a middle-aged man, and an old man, represent three of these generations and correspond to each of the wines.
In 2006, the first vintage of Matsu was crafted, initially with just one wine: El Viejo. Two vintages later, two more wines were added: El Pícaro and El Recio. Matsu, which means "to wait" in Japanese, is a tribute to all the winegrowers who, over generations, have worked the vineyards with dedication, wisdom, and sacrifice. The labels, featuring a young man, a middle-aged man, and an old man, represent three of these generations and correspond to each of the wines.