95+ John Gilman - View from the Cellar

"The flagship bottling of San Román is composed entirely from old vine tempranillo, with these vines sixty to over one hundred years of age! The farming is certified organic and again, incorporating some biodynamic principles. The wine is aged for two years in cask, made both from American and French wood, with one quarter of the barrels new for each vintage. The wine offers up a stunning young nose, soaring from the glass in a mix of black cherries, sweet cassis, cigar wrapper, a lovely touch of tempranillo spice tones, dark chocolate, a fine base of soil and nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and extremely elegant in profile for Toro, with a lovely core of fruit, great soil signature and grip, ripe, fine-grained tannins and a very long, complex and impeccably balanced finish. This is one of the finest young examples of Toro I have ever tasted! The wine is 14.5 percent octane, but relatively light on its feet and is going to be absolutely magnificent once it is fully mature. 2033-2085." (John Gilman - Issue #103 January/February 2023.)

95 Wine Review Online

"Bodegas San Román, Toro (Castilla y León, Spain) “San Román” 2020 ($70, Aurelio Cabestrero / Grapes of Spain): This is consistently one of Spain’s best wines. Although dozens of others are more expensive, the number that are better, more consistent, and enjoyable over a very long term is close to zero. It has not suffered at all from the introduction of another release from this bodega above this wine’s level, namely, “Cartago Paraje del Pozo,” which is truly marvelous. Common sense would tell you that such a move would suck much of the best juice out of this wine, and that the ratio of the very best French Oak barriques used for it would go down, but you’d be less than half right on both counts. Very little Cartago Paraje del Pozo is made, and this “San Román” bottling remains ultra-serious, concentrated, and complex, but with a little less new oak showing in the finished wine than in some previous vintages. San Román is better than ever in recent years, all things considered, as it is more enjoyable early on, while still having plenty of spice from oak and just a touch of extra grip from wood tannin. This vintage is among the most complete and convincing ever made, with plush but moderately ripened fruit, very well measured toast and spice notes, and superb texture that manages to seem both sturdy and silky after an hour of airing. This is phenomenal Tempranillo." (Michael Franz - May 16, 2023)

93+ Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2020 San Román had a slightly shorter élevage than the 2019 I tasted next to it. These are wines of very good regularity, showing a ripe and generously oaked profile, ripe, lush and powerful, perhaps a tad lighter and fresher in 2020. 115,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2022. Drink 2023-2029."

93 Wine Spectator

"A polished red, offering a generous range of creamed black cherry, blackberry paste, mocha and mountain herb flavors set in a graceful, medium- to full-bodied frame. Features fine tannins that provide sculpted definition, though this is bright and silky on the palate and long through the mineral- and spice-laced finish. Drink now through 2033. -AN"