Bodegas Valdaya, Ribera del Duero Sale

Bodegas Valdaya, Ribera del Duero

Ribera del Duero might just be the most top-heavy region in the wine world. International collectors and critics zero in on just two estates, Vega Sicilia and Pingus, and prices for those wines have skyrocketed accordingly. Hundreds of wineries toil away in their shadows. But today, Valdaya’s Ribera del Duero steps out of the umbra and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with those giants.

Sourced from nearly century-old Tempranillo vines, fermented in single-barrel lots, and shepherded into bottle by a couple who cut their teeth in Bordeaux and Napa, this is as elite, polished, and detailed as winemaking gets. And it’s not some collector’s item you need to sit on for a decade before discovering its full potential, either: This powerfully mineral and luxuriantly dark-fruited beauty is already starting to fulfill its promise! Of course, you can keep on cellaring it, too, because, like the two legends above, this will keep providing full-throated joy for years and years to come. It just happens to cost a tenth of the big boys!

Ribera del Duero is a truly singular place, a region where conventional wisdom would say that viticulture is impossible. The rainfall each year wouldn’t be enough for unirrigated vines were it not for the sandy topsoils that allow water to pass through and be stored in more alluvial sedimentation down below. Furthermore, 200 days free of frost is generally considered the minimum for a healthy grape growing season, but in Ribera, it can be as little as 185. Thankfully, the intense central Spanish sun and sweltering temperatures—at the peak of what vines can handle—make up for the shorter season. And of course, in this dry and arid region, those soaring temperatures come crashing down as soon as the sun sets, preserving the precious acidity of the local Tempranillo clone, Tinto Fino. Great Ribera like Valdaya’s pours forth with sunbaked warmth and weight, while maintaining a freshness and tension that keeps it from being overpowering. 

Located in Sotillo de la Ribera, Bodegas Valdaya farms 15 hectares of organic bush vines, the majority of which is Tinto Fino (Tempranillo). When Elena and Joaquin Gonzalez moved back to Elena’s hometown to start the winery, their first decade was a struggle. But in 2013, they hired Marta Ramas and Miguel Fisac, a couple who’d studied and worked in Bordeaux. They took over right in the middle of one of central Spain’s worst recent vintages, where excessive rain and rot meant there wasn’t enough ripe fruit to fill Valdaya’s large fermentation vessels. So Marta and Miguel fermented in individual barrels, a practice that allowed them to explore their terroir with such granularity that they continue it today. They now vinify each individual vineyard parcel separately and only the best barrels make it into the final blend.

Deep ruby and purple-rimmed, with a single pour of the Valdaya Ribera, you know immediately you’re in for a luscious treat. The nose booms with dark blackberry, plum skin, raspberry jam, smoky cherry, fresh violets, cola nut, and baking spice. The palate is full and mouth-coating, with the alcohol kept firmly in check by a juicy lick of acid and fine-grained tannins. Flavors on the palate reveal more floral pastille, cherry preserves, and sandalwood. This is the sort of balancing act between deep density and lifted freshness many warm-climate producers would give an arm and a leg for! Serve at 65 degrees in Bordeaux stems, alongside some Spanish-influenced lamb shoulder, and bask in Valdaya’s full-bore glory. Welcome to the world of blue-chip Spain!