In the heights of the extreme north of the Ribera del Duero shines a small wine project brimming with enthusiasm. The Vallejos make wines with grapes from the northernmost vineyards of the DO Ribera del Duero, some made that they describe as “unique terroir.” This winery with its own vineyards in Tórtoles de Esgueva (Burgos), in the Atlantic valley of La Ribera, has been named Buen Camino, the greeting of pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. As the centuries passed, the Latin greeting ¡ultreia! It was losing prominence in favor of Buen Camino!, a greeting with which every good pilgrim wishes a good route to Santiago.
They affirm that their path “is full of challenges, aromas, colors, excitement and, above all, moments to share.” The Vallejos assure that "we begin our path little by little with a clear, hopeful destination, knowing the day-to-day effort, rigor, patience and good work that is needed to create this work of art." And they say they know that “our wine is not just a wine, but it is also an authentic ambassador of our land, a hallmark that reflects our effort, dedication and passion.”
They define themselves as a family winery that personally works their organic vineyards. The variety of soils, the genetic diversity of its long-lived vines, the high altitude at which they are planted and its limestone soils deeply mark its wines. Theirs is a unique terroir at one end of Burgos, very close to Palencia. They are in one of the largest towns in the Ribera del Duero (79.2 km²), but with fewer vineyards. The old wool manufacturing has given them the name of pelaires (they even have a cultural association in the town called that). Those who cleaned the impurities from the wool in the wind were paid with wages and wine. Today there are only a little more than 400 inhabitants registered in Tórtoles de Esgueva.
It all started in the underground cellar of the old house of grandfather Feliciano (1887), a winegrower who liked to sing. They explain that “the wine culture and tradition of the Vallejo family has meant that the knowledge and hobby is passed directly to us from generation to generation.” The winemaker Javier Vallejo Abella, together with his brother Jorge, his father Javier Vallejo Villamor and his mother Lucinda (a passionate about viticulture), promote this small project with which they want to preserve the treasure of their old vineyards . They are committed to their rural life. And they know the “potential” that their terroir offers them, in the heart of the Esgueva Valley region.
They produce in a converted agricultural warehouse located on Ren del Merinero street in their town (where they had the old sheep pens, which served as lambing pens, as a shed or as a sheepfold to collect and store the livestock). They are committed to producing small productions of “personal wines with their own character” through low yields and minimal intervention. They say that “daily life in the winery makes us continually experiment.” In 2015 they launched their first 6,800 bottles on the market. Today they make around 35,000 bottles annually, of which they export between 25 and 30% of the total. Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands are its main international markets. Now they are looking for someone to distribute them in Catalonia.
They have poor stony soils with a limestone bottom, planted on beautiful slopes with different solar exposures subject to persistent winds. Its grapes are born in a moor located 960 meters above sea level and also on the slopes of the Esgueva Valley. There are 12 hectares of vineyards spread throughout the area of Tórtoles de Esgueva. This year they will have 16 hectares. They say that “we try to find the expression of the different soils, limiting production, and with total ecological conviction.”
They recover and preserve old vines, which they define as “authentic treasures of any wine-growing terroir.” They focus their youngest vineyards on seeking maximum altitude and natural regulation, which is why they focus on the “so cool and stony” moor of Tórtoles de Esgueva. Theirs is a tough and difficult terroir to work with, but it has “immense potential for the balance, complexity and typicity that we look for in our wines.” They are focused on organic viticulture, manual processes and limited productions of “signature” wines. They work with the Tempranillo variety, but also with Garnacha del País, Garnacha Tintorera, Jaén and Albillo Mayor.
On the label of their latest wine they have written the name Casa with a marker. With it they want to pay tribute to his house, where they still drink from a jug (with a trade) and do not stop singing like their grandfather Feliciano. It has been made with the Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Albillo Mayor and Jaén varieties. It has a medium layer and a beautiful ruby color. It stands out for its florality and its red and black fruits on a lactic background. The 2021 vintage has been released to the market before a 2020 that still has a journey in the bottle to refine.
Casa 2021, then, is friendlier than its first vintage. It has been made with 10% raspón. It stands out for its good balance and a notable sensation of acidity. The fruit and aging in wood find a good balance. It is an artisan wine that exudes youth and that, through its minerality and freshness, is transparent with its terroir. It comes from vineyards of yesteryear and is inspired by ancestral wines, but has found, with elegance, modernity. They are on the right path.
Javier Vallejo Abella states that “we like these fresh wines mainly for lunch, with good sausage, cured sheep's cheese, pâté or cured meat.” He also points out that its good acidity “cleans very well everything that is offal.” Thus, he proposes dishes such as tripe, ear and even game proposals such as stewed pigeons or grilled quail. Although he adds that, with his mother's botillo from the town of Bercia, made with pork ribs and tail, it is “unbeatable.”
