Familia Torres Releases a Collection of Old Vintages of Its Most Iconic Wines

By Laura Conde, wine writer

The chance to taste old vintages doesn’t present itself every day. These aren’t ordinary wines, but vintages that, for one reason or another, have become part of history, not only of the winery, but of their place of provenance and the people responsible for bringing them into existence. With the aim of sharing its legacy, Familia Torres has just released the Familia Torres Private Collection, a careful selection of old vintages that reveal the deep ageing potential of certain wines from different Catalan enclaves, whose complexity is a testament to how much they have benefitted from the passage of time. Furthermore, these wines prove that they can take on a new life when they change hands and become part of the sentimental legacy of those who drink them. 

The wines of the private collection released in 2024

In its first edition, Familia Torres Private Collection presents five flagship wines of different vintages (from 1989 to 2013) aimed at private clients, collectors, and high-end restaurateurs.  These five gems are inextricably linked to the DNA of a winery committed to the production of exceptional wines from historical vineyards, the recovery of ancestral varieties, and the continued, caring cultivation of classic grapes while consistently implementing sustainable practices.  

Waltraud 2012, a Riesling that improves with age

The wine is named after Waltraud Maczassek, a German artist and wife of Miguel A. Torres, president of Familia Torres. Her father-in-law suggested the name in honour of the great work his daughter-in-law had done over the years in the German market. “The wine aims to change our assumptions about the ageing of Rieslings,” explains Sergi Castro, Familia Torres’s sommelier, for whom this vintage “perfectly expresses what an age-worthy Riesling should be.” In the Penedès region, the 2012 vintage saw a warm growth season with a rainy start: the perfect conditions for a wine to age as elegantly as this one has.   

Waltraud 2012 alongside the private collection wooden case. 

Milmanda 2012 

This Chardonnay varietal lends wonderful expression to its place of origin: Conca de Barberà, a region of which Familia Torres is particularly fond. The moment Miguel A. Torres saw Milmanda castle in the municipality of Vimbodí i Poblet, he was smitten. “It was like being in Chablis,” he jokes. Nestled along the castle walls is a vineyard which produces an excellent Chardonnay every year, but the 2012 vintage exceeded all expectations. “It was a historic vintage,” Castro remarks, “It proved that Catalunya could produce truly exceptional Chardonnays.” More than a few prominent individuals would agree, including Barack Obama, who chose the wine for his first lunch with Cuban president Raúl Castro. 

Milmanda 2012 alongside the private collection wooden case

Mas La Plana 1989

Perhaps the winery’s most iconic wine, Mas La Plana was born in 1970 and paved the way for the production of extraordinary wines from exceptional vineyards. Here the wine in question is a Cabernet Sauvignon that began as a personal passion project for Miguel A. Torres after completing his oenology studies in France and joining the family business. His determination would produce one of Spain’s greatest wines, whose 1989 vintage is a gem of extraordinary complexity: a shining example of how bold decisions can often lead to outstanding results. Other available vintages include 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2013. The wine made a spectacular debut by winning the Paris Wine Olympics in 1979, organized by the French magazine Gault & Millau. 

Mas La Plana 2013 alongside the private collection case. 

Grans Muralles 2004 

A blend of the varieties Cariñena, Garnacha, Querol, Monastrell, and Garró, Grans Muralles is a red wine aged in French oak for 18 months.   It exemplifies Familia Torres’s commitment to recovering indigenous varieties once on the brink of extinction, like Querol and Garró. Together with their classic counterparts, they fill the glass with years and years of Conca de Barberà’s vinicultural tradition. The 2010 vintage unveils the great ageing potential of a wine which remains bright and expressive to this day. Other available vintages include 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012. 

Grans Muralles 2012 alongside the private collection wooden case.

Reserva Real 2012

This Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot blend is the foundation for one of Familia Torres’s most extraordinary wines: a potent, concentrated red that still preserves a mineral streak characteristic of the vineyard’s slate soils. Grown in a small vineyard in Santa Margalida d’Aiguadolç, Reserva Real’s very limited production makes this a highly coveted wine, which attains its greatest splendour with the 2012 vintage. 

Reserva Real 2012 alongside the private collection wooden case.

All private collection bottles come in an exclusive wooden case

These exceptional wines all age in a cellar that holds special significance for Familia Torres: Cava Josefa, named after Miguel A. Torres’s grandmother. Other, still young wines now repose amid its walls, ageing into their full potential. This collection offers a reflection of what the future holds for them. “We wanted to release these wines at an exceptional moment in their maturation process,” states Miguel A. Torres, “Being able to enjoy some of these vintages, which we felt had great potential, and seeing that time has proven us right is very exciting.” All of the vintages come in an elegant, dark wooden case with a wax seal and a band indicating the date of the re-release.