Ribera’s Rising Star
Ribera del Duero occupies the position of challenger, along with Priorat, to Rioja’s dominance in Spanish red wine. Since this region rose to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s thanks to high scores from Robert Parker and other critics, wineries and vineyards have proliferated across this once-forgotten section of Castilla y León. Vega Sicilia, for years the only winery in the area anyone had heard of, was joined by new names bound for glory. At the high end, wineries like Pingus, Aalto, Viña Sastre, and Viña Pedrosa proved the world-class potential of Ribera. Accessible wines came as well, filling the cellars and wine lists of bars and restaurants from Madrid to New York to Hong Kong. Ribera went from unknown to ubiquitous faster than anyone could have imagined.
Growing Pains
With a stratospheric rise, there are bound to be growing pains, and Ribera was no exception. Many of the Riberas that established the region were intensely concentrated and powerful, a result of natural factors like old vines and an extreme climate alongside human influences, including highly extractive winemaking and liberal use of new oak barrels. Critics and consumers grumbled, resistant to wines that could at times taste similar from one winery to another, terroir masked by oak. It’s telling that the younger Ribera wines are to this day often labelled Roble, oak in Spanish. If Rioja was defined by its elegantly blended bottlings left to mellow for years before release, Ribera became a region defined by wood aromas and overpowering fruit. But not for long. The seeds had already been sown for new ideas to push the region to new heights.
The New Ribera
The techniques of the current luminaries of Ribera vary, but there are a few common threads. Old vines planted in the highest and coolest areas of the region are often the basis for today’s star Riberas. The natural freshness and concentration of the grapes from such vineyards means the wine is made “in the vineyard,” already possessing structure needed for aging. Oak aging remains a prominent feature of Ribera wines, but many newer bottlings use less new oak and larger aging vessels to lessen its mark in the glass. The tradition of blending white grapes with red in order to bring freshness has become popular again, and as in many parts of Spain there has been a renewed focus on expressing a single vineyard rather than a uniform blend. Recent years have brought white wines into the D.O. and a crop of claretes, traditional rosé-style wines made with red and white grapes.
Thus the potential revealed in Ribera del Duero is now coming through more consistently now, with fresher, more unique wines available from a constellation of producers. This is why despite the excitement about up-and-coming regions in Spain like Bierzo and Vinos de Madrid, Ribera remains on the tip of many tongues in the Spanish wine world. The original classics of the region have maintained and increased their stature, but new things are attracting intense attention and high acclaim. Below are some of the most important producers to try or visit to see the best of the old and the new in Ribera del Duero.
Aalto
Bodegas Aalto was founded in 1999 by Mariano García of Bodegas Mauro, former winemaker at Vega Sicilia, and Javier Zaccagnini, former president of the D.O. Ribera del Duero Regulatory Board. They set out to make a Ribera del Duero that could challenge the greatest wines of the world. Hundreds of tiny plots of old vines in the best terroirs of Ribera del Duero are harvested, vinified and aged separately. Winemaker Mariano García blends these plots to produce two red wines. Aalto, the flagship wine, makes up most of the production and is itself one of Ribera’s benchmark wines. The most unique plots go towards the production of Aalto PS (PS stands for Pagos Seleccionados, or selected plots). PS is a legendary wine whose quality and aging potential suggest that García and Zaccagnini succeeded in their goal of making a world-class Ribera del Duero. With the recent change in Ribera del Duero regulations to allow white wines, Aalto has launched a new single-plot white wine, eschewing the typical Albillo in favor of a varietal Verdejo, one of the few produced in the region.
Alonso del Yerro
Javier Alonso and María del Yerro were lovers and collectors of fine wines for years before they decided to make some of their own. In 2002 they bought Tempranillo vineyards near Roa in Burgos province, home to some of Ribera del Duero’s best vineyards. In order to make the best wines possible, the family hired French experts to assist with the winemaking and assess the soils. One result was the decision to produce and age wine from each soil separately before making a final blend. Perhaps through power of suggestion, the French influence seems to bring elegance to the wines as well.
The winery complex is a beautiful building, inside and out. One section houses the winery, featuring a barrel room decorated with María’s collection of designer scarves and a tasting room where the family’s collection of rare wines can be lusted after. Another area is the home of the family when they are not in Madrid, designed with impeccable taste and windows overlooking the vineyards. The best part must be the hospitality of María and her son and winemaker Miguel, who personally welcome those who visit the winery. You can really feel the passion for this family project.
Alonso del Yerro makes two wines in Ribera del Duero, plus one from their family project in the Toro region. All are elegant yet powerful Tempranillos, quite different from those common in the Valladolid area of Ribera del Duero. Alonso del Yerro is a blend of plots from the vineyards surrounding the winery featuring a variety of soils. María, the family’s dedication to María del Yerro, comes from just two selected plots. María is a rich yet floral wine, wonderful today and with the structure to age for many years to come. Paydos, from D.O. Toro, is not an afterthought. Very old vines of the Tinta de Toro clone of Tempranillo yield a wine of great subtlety that will turn you into a believer in this up-and-coming wine region.
Áster
Of the Ribera del Duero outposts of the powerhouse wineries of Rioja, Áster has been perhaps the most successful. Created by La Rioja Alta and fortified by the house’s experience and resources, Áster has found an identity that balances the elegance of Riojan winemaking techniques with the power and concentration that define Ribera del Duero’s best wines. The wines made at Áster are sourced from estate vineyards of Tempranillo and aged in French oak. Áster comes from a blend of plots from near Anguix in the heart of Ribera’s “golden triangle” and a reliably excellent Ribera. Single-vineyard Finca El Otero and Finca El Espino come from two sides of the vineyard surrounding the winery and show two sides of Ribera wine as well. El Otero aims for classic Ribera intensity and opulence, while El Espino brings the fruit and freshness of the New Ribera. Áster’s wines combine richness and complexity into an attractive Ribera style that maintains the ability to age immortally.
Dehesa de los Canónigos
The name of this family-owned winery pays homage to the original owners of the property, the monks of the Cathedral of Valladolid. The Cid family purchased the property in 1931, and today their descendants own the property. The estate vineyards provided grapes for nearby Vega Sicilia for many years, until the family decided to make its own wine in 1989.
The property encompasses hundreds of acres, but almost all of the land is covered in indigenous umbrella pine trees that surround the vineyards. Most of the vines are Tempranillo, but there is some Cabernet Sauvignon and white Albillo. The winery is beautiful, a series of old farm buildings converted for winemaking with modern equipment and elegant design. You’ll mostly see American oak here, something that differentiates Dehesa de los Canónigos from many France-inspired producers in Ribera. You could come here just for the scenery: the winery, the tasting room, the garden, and a cozy space with a fireplace to relax and enjoy. There is a chapel on-site, as well as the family’s home right next to the winery.
The wines spend plenty of time in oak and are perfect if you like classic Ribera del Duero wines. They take the oak very well, and are enjoyable on release. There is a young wine, Quinta Generación, with four months in oak. The crianza is a serious wine, with 15 months in oak and a bit of Cabernet. Selección Especial has the same blend of grapes as the Crianza, but from a single plot of old vines and with 18 months aging. Solideo is a top-class reserva with Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a bit of white Albillo that is made only in exceptional years. The Gran Reserva is the top wine, old vines of Tempranillo and Albillo yielding a wine of great concentration suitable for long aging. Only great years produce this gran reserva, and it spends over 36 months in barrel and more in bottle before release.
The last few years have brought new wines at Dehesa de los Canónigos. The aged white is Albillo Mayor, while Luzianilla is a serious take on Ribera’s heritage clarete style, a sort of hearty rosé made from Tempranillo and Albillo that was once the main kind of wine made in the whole region.
Dominio del Águila
Winemaker Jorge Monzón needed many ingredients to make his extraordinary wines possible. First, his studies and experience in France and at Ribera wineries Vega Sicilia and Arzuaga. Second, old vines in and around the town of La Aguilera in Burgos province. Third, a restored bodega from the 17th century and several 15th-century underground caves for aging wine. The vineyards are mostly Tinto Fino but have other grapes mixed in such as Garnacha, Bobal, Albillo and even Tempranillo Gris. Today Monzón’s small productions have become certified cult wines, with some surpassing Vega Sicilia in price and placement.
There are two sides to the wines of Domino del Águila: the wines you can have and the ones you can’t. Dominio del Águila Reserva is the flagship wine, a reserva aged 36 months in French oak from the oldest vines. Pícaro del Águila Tinto is a red aged 19 months in oak, while Pícaro del Águila Clarete is a barrel-aged clarete, a Northern-Spanish style made using red and white grapes together with skin contact to create a form of complex rosé. Each of these can be found, with a little effort, and they represent some of the finest Riberas on many wine lists.
Then there are the other wines from Dominio del Águila, a series of rare wines with scores and prices among the highest in Spain. Canta La Perdiz is a single-plot of vines up to 150 years old, yielding an extraordinary red after 30 months in French oak. Peñas Aladas Gran Reserva comes from 85-year-old vines and spends 55 months in French oak before bottling. Both of these wines are among Ribera’s most expensive and acclaimed reds. Any chance to try the Albillo de Viñas Viejas white or the Peñas Aladas Clarete is not to be missed, as they represent peaks of each style.
Emilio Moro
The Moro family’s history in Ribera goes back decades, but when the founders of Emilio Moro decided to begin bottling in 1989 they had only a few acres of old vines to their name. Bodegas Emilio Moro’s ascent was rapid, coinciding with that of the region as a whole following the founding of the D.O. in 1982. Today Emilio Moro produces delicious reds from those same old vineyards and others replanted with their own clone of Tempranillo. From the drinkable Emilio Moro red through the single-plot luxuries under the Malleolus name, the wines are approachable yet complex, a delicate balance hailing from the harsh climate of the region. Emilio Moro is one of Ribera’s iconic producers, having done as much as anyone else to spread quality Riberas with local character all around the world.
Gallego Zapatero
The Gallego Zapatero brothers, Bienvenido (Welcome) and Nacho, come from a family of growers, like some of Ribera’s other premier producers. Their grandfather planted the plots of old vines that yield their top wines, and their parents worked these vineyards and planted more. The name you’ll see on the bottles is Yotuel, “me you him,” honoring the contributions of three generations to this project.
The vineyards are around the village of Anguix at over 2,000 feet and some are up to 90 years old. This is the heart of Burgos’s quality wine area. Everything is picked by hand and the agriculture is all organic. The garage winery lies on the edge of Anguix, full of barrels, concrete and bottles. The production here is very small, less than thirty thousand bottles. Each plot is made separately with native yeasts, some being blended and others bottled as high-quality single-plot wines. Like a Rioja winery but unlike most Ribera del Duero producers, Gallego Zapatero age their wines for years before release, so they are ready to drink on release.
The wines here are refined and balanced, with a depth born of low yields and a harsh climate. They provide a great picture of the variability of Tempranillo here, since they are all 100% Tinto Fino, the local clone. Yotuel is the youngest wine, a blend of different plots, while Yotuel Selección blends the best plots that are not made as single-plot wines. La Nava comes from a tiny plot of “young” vines planted 25 years ago. Valdepalacios is the first of the old-vine wines. 80-year-old vines provide tiny yields and a superb wine. San Miguel is the oldest plot, planted in the 1920s. The wine it yields is dense and the current vintage feels young even after nearly eight years in bottle. Two barrels each of an intense varietal Garnacha and a field-blend clarete round out one of Ribera’s best value wine ranges.
Goyo García Viadero
Goyo García Viadero’s story is one of the most unlikely in Ribera del Duero. His family started Valduero, one of Ribera’s founding wineries and a powerhouse estate. Rather than join the family winery, Goyo went out on his own just down the road to make some of the first natural wines in Ribera del Duero. He farms his vineyards and makes his wines without adding anything artificial in the process. Those vineyards are what he wants to shine through, small plots of old vines, each plot made separately. The results of Goyo’s hard work are fresh, aromatic wines that defy fashion and harken back to a time when new oak and high extraction were rare here. He picks early to maintain high natural acidity, resulting in wines with low alcohol compared to others in the region. These surprising Riberas have taken the global wine world by storm, becoming some of the most sought-after bottles in the whole region. Apart from his excellent reds, Goyo also produces an exciting clarete and no less than three complex white wines. This is a fascinating visit to understand the potential of Ribera and taste a different, pure expression of this land.
Pago de Carraovejas
José María Ruiz is the founder of Restaurante Jose Mari, the most famous place to eat cochinillo (suckling pig) in Segovia. A sommelier by training, he wanted a great red wine to serve at his restaurant. He got together with some wine-loving friends from Segovia and found what he was looking for in Ribera del Duero: Pago de Carraovejas. Today, the winery has taken on a life of its own as the producer of some of the region’s most sought-after wines. The flagship Pago de Carraovejas is a pleasingly fruity and balanced wine, perfect with food or on its own. Two single plot wines follow, El Anejón and Cuesta de las Liebres, which have helped cement the incredible seriousness of this winery. There is also Michelin star restaurant on the property, Ambivium, where you can enjoy a tasting menu accompanied by wines Pago de Carraovejas or from around the world.
Pago de los Capellanes
Pago de los Capellanes lies in Pedrosa de Duero and is surrounded by high-elevation vineyards. The Rodero Villa family, like many of Ribera’s top winemakers, started out growing grapes to supply large wineries in the region. In 1996, they decided to make their own wines to take advantage of their old vines and excellent location. Things have gone very well. Today Pago de los Capellanes is one of the most respected names in Ribera del Duero, and the family has even acquired a winery in Valdeorras in Galicia to satisfy their desire to make white wines.
The wines of Pago de los Capellanes are a study in Tempranillo aged in French oak. Here you will find the classic Ribera del Duero categories in the Roble, Crianza, and Reserva as well as single-plot wines El Nogal and El Picón. Younger vines from high-quality areas of Burgos province are used for the Roble and the Crianza. The Reserva blends plots of old vines from the family’s vineyards near the winery. El Nogal and El Picón emerge from the oldest and finest vineyards. El Nogal spends 18 months in oak, while El Picón’s very limited production ages for 22 months.
Pinea
Pinea is quite a new project, but in a few short years their wines have made waves in Spain and around the world. Two Mexican friends searched the world for a place to make the finest wine possible. They settled on Ribera del Duero due to its rich winemaking history, old Tempranillo vines, and extreme climate. Cofounder Vicente Pliego is a trained winemaker, but Pinea also works with star enologist Isaac Fernandez, former Mauro winemaker and nephew of Mariano García. The flagship wine, Pinea, has made a place for itself on wine lists and in cellars around the world. Old vines and two years in French oak yield a wine of immense concentration built for the long haul. The lineup is rounded out with 17 by Pinea, a fruitier and more accessible Tempranillo red, Korde rosé, a Tempranillo rosé with a vanishingly small production, and a new white made from Albillo. Pinea’s first vintage was only in 2014, but it is among the most exciting new projects in Ribera del Duero.
Tr3smano
The growing prestige of Ribera del Duero over the last few decades has inspired outsiders to invest in the region. Tr3smano (stylized Spanish for “three hands”) had the team to succeed in the region: the founders of Mexico’s largest importer of Spanish wine, legendary Rioja winery Remírez de Ganuza, and the up-and-coming Somontano DO. Their combined expertise has helped Tr3smano become one of the most promising projects in the region in just a few short years. The extraordinary modern winery is designed to allow perfect control over winemaking and aging. The trio found plots of old vines in the best areas of Ribera’s “golden mile” and today use them to make fine Tempranillo reds. The hand of the late Fernando Remírez de Ganuza is evident in the final product, wines with a power and concentration balanced by elegance. Nothing is out of place. These outsiders have found their way to the soul of Ribera del Duero.
Valderiz
The Esteban family have been growers in Roa for generations. Tomás Esteban saw the value of the old vines planted by his father and decided to start his own winery in 1997 along with his children. Superstar flying winemaker Telmo Rodriguez helped them get off the ground, but today Tomás and his sons are responsible for the wine.
Valderiz is one of the few wineries in Ribera del Duero practicing organic viticulture. Even less common, they use biodynamic techniques to manage their vineyards without any pesticides or herbicides. In some sense they have gone back in time to move forward, taking advantage of the knowledge of their family about how grapes were grown before industrial agriculture was common. In the winery things are efficient, but no artificial additives are used in the wines and fermentation takes places spontaneously with native yeasts. Valderiz is very careful with oak, using large-format barrels and different oaks and coopers to allow their wines to express themselves without overbearing wood. They even host an annual event where they age a wine in many different vessels and blind taste the results to inform their decisions.
The wines of Valderiz are fresh and sincere, but very serious. The Valdehermoso line consists of a young wine, a roble, and a crianza that are great value and should be ordered if you see them at any tapas bar in Ribera del Duero. De Chiripa is a bright, lively wine aged partially in French oak foudres. Valderiz is the flagship, with two years in oak and a pile of awards, this is a wine to buy by the case. It drinks amazingly today, but it is built for the long haul. Juegabolos comes from a single vineyard planted by Tomás and spends two years in new oak: a serious wine to hold onto. Finally there is Tomás Esteban, from the vineyard of old vines that Tomás inherited from his father. Very low yields lead to a wine of immense concentration, and 3 years of new French oak help make this one of the great wines of Ribera del Duero to enjoy for many years to come. The limited-edition Valderiz de Alba takes a shot at the ultra-premium by blending the free-run juice of each old vineyard into a powerhouse wine.
Valduero
Bodegas Valduero was founded in 1984 in Gumiel de Mercado, in Ribera’s wild northern reaches. At the time, few Ribera del Duero wineries bottled their wines, but founder Gregorio García Álvarez was clear from the beginning that he wanted to produce quality wines using the native Tempranillo (Tinto Fino) grape. He bought an old winery with 17th-century aging caves 20 meters below ground. Today Gregorio’s daughter Yolanda García Viadero makes the wines. Valduero Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva are the classic wines, all 100% Tinto Fino and aged in oak. Una Cepa is sourced from old vines with such low production that each vine produces just one bottle, hence the name. 6 Años is also a well-named wine: 3 years in barrels made of 4 kinds of oak, 3 years in bottle. Valduero also innovated non-red wines. The García Viadero Blanco de Albillo is a 100% Albillo white, while the Valduero Rosado is a barrel-aged rosé made with Albillo and Tempranillo.
Viña Sastre
The Sastre family have been in the wine trade for generations in La Horra, in the heart of Ribera del Duero’s best terroir in the province of Burgos. In 1992, they decided to start their own winery to take advantage of their extraordinary plots of old vines. The family were early proponents of single vineyard wines from Ribera, crafting exquisite reds like Pago de Santa Cruz and Regina Vides. Viña Sastre’s cult status was established with Pesus, a top wine made from centenarian vines and featuring a touch of Bordeaux grapes and the power of new French oak. The result was one of the most iconic Ribera del Duero wines, with the ability to age for years and a collection of stunning scores. Today, Viña Sastre is a benchmark of the region proving year after year the potential of the region’s terroir.