Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain

Varietal: 100% Tempranillo

Tasting notes: The nose is very powerful and complex, highlighting the ripeness of the grape with aromas of black fruit, cocoa, toasted wood and spicy tones (cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and some vanilla). On the palate it is soft and sweet, very fruity, with sensations of black fruit, fine toasted notes and aromatic woods, with a very long and complex finish.

Producer: Viña Sastre is an iconic, family-run winery located in the heart of the Ribera del Duero, near Burgos in the town of La Horra, which is one of the most respected villages in the D.O. The village of La Horra is famous for making the powerful, distinctively structured reds from old vine tempranillo, grown near the Duero river. Jesús Sastre is the winemaker and vineyard manager whose intuitive philosophies and winemaking talents have been a driving force of the winery since 2002, following the passing of his brother Pedro. The Sastre family have been grape growers in La Horra at least since their great-grandfather’s days, giving Jesús an unparalleled knowledge of the vineyards in his region. Jesús’ grandfather, Severiano, was a founding member of the local Asunción cooperative.

Vineyard and Winemaking: The family-owned vineyards are mostly in the villages of La Horra and Roa, with the average vine age being more than 60 years, all trained in the traditional goblet method. Only vineyards planted prior to 1960 are considered old by the family and are destined for the single-vineyard wines. Although he does not identify himself with any particular dogma, Jesús Sastre is committed to organic farming and biodynamic agriculture principles and he has never used chemical fertilizers or pesticides in his vineyards in his 30 years at the winery. Sastre works in a naturally privileged area for organic farming, with Ribera del Duero’s low temperatures in the winter and at night, and characteristic high altitudes (around 800m) providing large temperature variations between day and night. Grapes are hand-harvested into boxes with a selection being done in the field, followed by a very critical sorting in the winery; only the best grapes go into Viña Sastre, and the remainder is sold. His wines are always spontaneously fermented with natural yeasts from the vineyard and never fined or filtered. Viña Sastre’s Crianza is made from 100% Tempranillo sourced from 20 to 65-year-old vines grown in chalky clay soils.