Bodegas Frontaura: Celebrating the very best of DO Toro

Duero River winding through DO Toro in Spain's Castilla y León region.

(Image credit: Duero River winding through DO Toro in Spain's Castilla y León region)

Picture yourself in a striking Spanish wine region, where the Duero River winds through a rugged landscape of gnarly old vines, weathered by an extreme climate. This is DO Toro: a region as proudly iconic as the Spanish symbol it is named after – the bull.

Wines have been produced for centuries in this characterful region. The DO takes its name from the town of Toro and is located in the southeastern corner of the province of Zamora, at the western end of Castilla y León.

Here, Spain’s signature red grape, Tempranillo, assumes a distinctive identity: Tinta de Toro. Adapting to Toro’s austere conditions, with poor soils and a challenging climate, the vines produce smaller, thicker-skinned berries in looser bunches, yielding expressive wines of concentration and robust elegance.

Family-owned Bodega Frontaura in DO Toro — Family-owned Bodegas Frontaura is now managed by Camino Pardo Álvarez.

An incomparable sense of place

Artisan wineries such as Bodegas Frontaura create individual wines that speak eloquently of their particular place of origin. This family-owned bodega, now managed by Camino Pardo Álvarez, can trace its roots back to 1840, when its founders, the Gonzalez family, planted their first vineyards in what today is known as the Toro Region.

Focusing on the production of quality old-vine wines since the 1990s, the winery works with ungrafted Tinta de Toro vineyards in Morales de Toro. Planted on clay loam soils, the vines are exposed to bright sunlight and fierce winds; nurtured with care and respect in the vineyard, they yield high-quality, concentrated fruit. The skill of the winemaker captures the personality of these century-old vines in Bodegas Frontaura’ s signature Toro wines.

Cellar at Bodegas Frontaura in DO Toro, Spain — French Allier oak barrels in the cellar at Bodegas Frontaura.

Recognised as Best in Show

With this knowledge and meticulous attention to detail in the winery, Bodegas Frontaura crafts unique wines such as Aponte⁺ 2018, recently awarded 97 points and named Best in Show at DWWA 2024.

Described by the judges as ‘dense, textured and powerfully fruity’, this is a wine that could only be produced in Toro. One sip instantly transports you to the town’s mediaeval hilltop fortress, looking out over the windswept vineyards of old bush-vine Tinta de Toro.

A wine born in the vineyard, Aponte+ subsequently spends 21 months in new French Allier oak, allowed to develop at its own pace, to create a well-balanced and elegant wine. DWWA judges noted powerful aromas of ‘black fruit, charred vine embers, pounded stone and sweet spices’, while the palate offers hints of forest floor and spice alongside wild plum fruit.

Showing ‘youthful exuberance and force’ Aponte⁺ will benefit from decanting, if you’re enjoying it now; as the judges noted, however, it will also certainly continue to evolve and improve with time in bottle.

Just 11,500 750ml bottles and 510 magnums of the 2018 vintage were produced. To order, visit the shop or contact the winery via email info@nexusfrontaura.com.