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Must is "downloaded" into a fermenter from a specially-designed tank.
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But just barely beyond the western borders of the Ribera de Duero, actually just about contiguous to Vega Sicilia's vineyards but outside of the formal Ribera de Duero appellation, a new winery is rising in status and grandeur; Abadía Retuerta is a property to follow.
In 1988, the former Sandoz company (whose merger with Ciba-Geigy in 1997 gave birth to the world's largest pharmaceutical company, Novartis) took over a cereal farm and seed merchant, the Retuerta estate. Included in the deal was an old abbey with a Romanesque church dating from the 12th century, 700 hectares (a mix of former vineyards, farmland, pine woods and hillside shrubs) and a prime location along the Duero River and stretching upland to the Castillian plateau, east of Valladolid.
The Abbey had been built as part of a network of monasteries used to support the Christian Reconquista (reconquest) of Castile. Seventeenth century documents found at the abbey say that the wine sold by the monks dominated the market of Valladolid, Castile's largest city and consistently one of Spain's most fashionable.
A Location Next to Vega Sicilia
By the time that Novartis came calling, a few vines still existed. Barcelona lawyer and wine broker Joan Jose Abo impressed upon his old friend Xavier Brugue, chairman of Novartis, that the property was less than 15 kilometers from Vega Sicilia, in the neighboring Sardón de Duero appellation. "Maybe we could make good wine here," Abo told Brugue. Novartis believed him and made Abo Commercial Director of Abadía Retuerta. Abo proved his point: good wine--fine wine--is indeed being made at Abadía Retuerta.
Starting in 1990, all vineyards have now been replanted. Of the 700 hectares (1,729 acres), 210 (519 acres) are in grapes. Major soil analysis was conducted; the vineyards are mostly sand and clay, old alluvial soil close to the river. The further up the slope one goes, the more gravel mixed with chalk and calcareous rock is found. The land in the canyon of the Duero is regarded as the best soil with the best temperatures of the Duero Valley. Any land that was unsuitable for grapes has been planted to pine nuts, a valuable crop; the vineyards are cultivated with an integrated crop management perspective, headed by Technical Manager Alvaro Perez.
The property is broken down into 54 parcels, differentiated by type of soil, exposition and variety. Tempranillo makes up 70 percent of the plantings; Cabernet Sauvignon 20 percent; Merlot less than 10 percent. Two plots of Syrah and Petit Verdot are grown as well. And 80 hectares (198 acres) can still be planted.
The French Influence
All vineyards are trained in classic French Guyot trellising. Yields are low, never exceeding 45 hectolitres per hectare (about three tons/acre). And the obsession with soil and aspect--terroir--very French. French?
In 1994, Abo asked his close friend, and colleague in the Académie Internationale du Vin, Pascal Delbeck to help him manage Abadía Retuerta.
Delbeck's day job is making wine at Chateau Belair in Saint-Emilion, since 1976; from 1976-1996--when the ownership changed--Delbeck also made the wine at neighboring Chateau Ausone.
"After visiting Abadía Retuerta and checking out the soil, it appeared to me that this vineyard was exceptional, so I accepted the deal. This has also been the opportunity to have a winery built with my own inventions." Says Delbeck, "I do not consult at any other wineries, for you can't be everywhere."
Delbeck goes to Spain every two weeks, more often during harvest. He used to drive the five-hour trip, but now has a driver take him so he can read and do work on the way.
Delbeck hired Angel Anocibar-Belloqui to supervise the day-to-day winemaking; the two got to know each other when Anocibar-Belloqui was studying in Bordeaux to receive his PhD in enology. Abadía Retuerta's first substantial commercial vintage was 1996, which was Anocibar-Belloqui's first vintage as well.
Gravity Fed Taken to the Limit
The new winery also debuted in 1996. Its cost is reputed to be 14 million dollars. And what a winery!
Gravity fed principles dominate all aspects of production, which is common theory for Pinot noir, even Sangiovese these days. But Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon? Delbeck says "To me, gravity is the only means to respect the grapes and the wine, and also make economies of scale."
Delbeck designed squat stainless canisters into which the must descends after destemming. Each tub is then lifted by a crane, which moves it up and into position over a temperature-controlled fermentation tank for emptying of its contents. When harvest is in full swing, the look is otherworldly, like robots ferrying space ships through the winery.
Innovation continues into the barrel room. Barrels--80 percent French, 20 percent American--are stacked five high, supported on specially-built frames. Each barrel sports two bungholes; a traditional fill hole on top and another on the bottom directly aligned with the top hole. The barrels are filled top down/bottom up--meaning, a drain hose snakes down through all the barrels. As each bottom level barrel is filled, the bungholes are closed and the process moves up to the next level. Now that's gravity fed!
Delbeck says "This allows us to rack many barrels with less people, less time, and with the same results as if it were done traditionally."
The Wines
This property makes a lot of wine. A surprising amount, considering the quality. In 2000, Abadía Retuerta made one million bottles of wine (compared with the 200,000-400,000 bottle average in the Ribera de Duero). Even at that amount, the estate sells off as bulk about 20 percent of production; selection is severe in thegrapes and the wines.
And the wines really do tell the Abadía Retuerta story best. Nine cuvées are made, each with an ability to speak a different language and expression. These are true terroir-driven wines. From the simple Primicia (unoaked, 60 percent Tempranillo, 20 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 20 percent Merlot) and Rivola (60 percent Tempranillo and 40 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, aged for three months in new French barriques) to the more complex and sophisticated El Comparino (100 percent Tempranillo aged in older large French vats), Pago Valdebellón (100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon in new French barriques), and Pago Negralda (100 percent Tempranillo in new French barriques), the Abadía Retuerta wines have continued to display their individualistic personalities from that amazing inaugural vintage of 1996.
Delbeck is proud of the results, of course. "We have created nine types of wines to reveal and understand the complexity of this vineyard. We are making a great effort regarding the vines and we only work with our own grapes. Everything is scientifically studied, thus with a philosophical and traditional approach, corresponding with the Spanish culture and gastronomy. "
Spoken like a true terroir-ist. And indeed, reflected in the wines.
Watch this property. The wines keep getting better and better. wbm
