Finca Torremilanos

If today the Ribera del Duero region is on everyone's lips as one of the absolute top wine-growing regions in Spain in the truest sense of the word, it should not be forgotten that around 100 years ago, just a handful of fincas or bodegas sought their fortune in viticulture in the barren and rugged landscape of central Spain. One of these was Finca Torremilanos, founded in 1903. The steep rise among Spain's top producers began with the Penalba Lopez family, who acquired the winery in 1975. However, Ricardo Lopez, head of the vineyard and cellar, did a lot of things differently and in keeping with tradition, which made him a "new savage" or even a "revolutionary". In contrast to other bodegas that simply buy barrels, Finca Torremilanos produces the barrels itself and also burns them. This gives them maximum control over the wood influence in the wine. More importantly, however, the finca's long history of winegrowing in the Ribera del Duero means that it has parcels of land with vines that are almost 100 years old. The small berries from these old vines only bring low yields to the press, but produce an intense and highly complex wine. The altitude of 750 to 800 meters of these parcels in the partly continental, partly Mediterranean-influenced climate provides an animating, mineral freshness. Finca Torremilanos relies for the most part on the Spanish noble variety Tempranillo in its vineyards, which are now Demeter-certified organic. Only a few of the 200 hectares of vines on the finca are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon. The excellent terroir on which the vines around Aranda del Duero are planted is also impressively reflected in the wines, which never come across as technical but rather very authentic in the glass. This has made them famous far beyond the borders of Spain.