With a label like this, it can only be a great Spanish wine. Only there, in fact, do producers love to impress by dressing their bottles with striking colours and images. Do Toro, on sands that stopped phylloxera, produces a young red wine that is already full of character. Between Zamora and Valladolid, along the Duero River, the vineyards are located between 620 and 870 metres above sea level. Here, the climate is extremely continental, with dry summers exceeding 35°C and harsh winters, annual rainfall of just 350-400 mm and over 2,600 hours of sunshine. The vines have to dig deep into sandy, stony soils rich in clay and limestone conglomerates. The environment is so extreme that even phylloxera has failed to take root. This is why Toro still has many ungrafted vines, some of which are over a hundred years old. Matsu El Pícaro is made from 100% Tinta de Toro grapes grown on sandy plots with a high granite content. The vines, cultivated using natural farming methods, are between 50 and 90 years old. The grapes are harvested by hand between September and October and placed in 15 kg crates to preserve the integrity of the berries. An interesting fact: the name Matsu means “to wait” in Japanese, an invitation to respect the rhythms of nature and the work of three generations of winemakers, depicted on the labels of the range. Fermentation takes place in small concrete vats with the action of indigenous yeasts alone, at a controlled temperature. This is followed by two months of ageing on the fine lees, again in cement, then light filtering to preserve the wine's natural expressiveness as much as possible. Deep purple colour with purple reflections. The nose is characterised by intense red fruit, blackberry, raspberry and jelly candy, with notes of liquorice and a touch of spice. On the palate, it starts off soft and sweet, revealing a full but agile body and ripe tannins. The finish echoes the ripe fruit with a hint of minerality reminiscent of cocoa powder. Perfect with gourmet burgers, grilled pork ribs, sliced beef, mature cheeses and traditional Castilian dishes such as “lechazo asado”, roast suckling lamb.