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Photo By:: Adil Arora
 Torres is celebrating 40th year of the success of its iconic label Mas La Plana this year. The first edition of the wine from their 29 hA vineyard in Penedés was launched in 1970. The Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard Mas La Plana was planted in 1966 by the then young Miguel Torres Sr. against the advice of his father Miguel Torres Carbó and other friends since Cabernet was not the known grape then to produce good wine. It was entered in the prestigious blind tasting competition called Wine Olympiad organised in Paris by the famous wine guide Gault Millau against several top wines of Bordeaux. Then known as Gran Coronas Black Label, the 1970 won against stiff competition from the First Growths like Chateau Latour and Chateau Haut Brion.
The wine comes in a Burgundy bottle-another controversial feature at the time of introducing in the market. The dark black colour gives it the look and feel of opulence. It is rich purple in colour, with a hint of coffee, rose petals and red berries on the nose. The flavours are concentrated, with a lot of width and full of plums and blackcurrants. It’s a big, bold, fresh and fruity wine which has just the right shade of oak and grippy tannins with big structure and a long end. There are notes of mint and spice making it a complex wine. Even though it is still a bit young to drink, decant it for an hour and it will open up as also in the glass.
At less than a tenth of the price of those First Growths, even though it may not be a fair comparison since the tasting has not been repeated, you can’t expect a better value-for-money for a high quality Cabernet that can cellar for 30 years or more. It comes in a wooden box with ‘40 Years’ printed on it. An excellent buy for connoisseurs at the last year’s MRP of Rs. 6000 which is still valid till new, higher rates are approved by excise. According to Prestige Wines and Spirits the wine will be listed at Rs, 8000-9000. This wine has a lot of scope for development in the bottle. Drink now to 2030 if stored properly. Buy from a store that has proper wine cooler or is air-conditioned. Rating 93/100
Subhash Arora
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