A valley that crosses two moors in the Ribera del Duero, reaching an altitude of 915 meters above sea level, gives its name to the unique wine project of Bodegas y Viñedos Valtravieso, in Piñiel de Arriba (Valladolid). They are defined as a “moor wine.” They are the highest soils in the region. Valtravieso is run by Puçol winemaker (in Valencia's Horta Nord) Ricardo Velasco, who trained in Bordeaux, and is owned by Rafael González Beteré, the CEO and president of the Flex mattress manufacturer. They also have wine projects in the DO Arlanza (Viñedos de Altura), in the DO Jumilla (Pie Firme) and in the DO Ribera del Júcar (Mil Cantos).
Valtravieso ensures that they seek to make wines that bear “the imprint of the terroir from which they were born,” along with “a style specific to the house.” They say they look for wines “with their own identity, elegant, vertical and deep, where the wood accompanies, but does not mask, the personality of the grape.”
Its riverside soils are limestone, poor and shallow, and are populated by countless rabbits. The climate is extreme, with constant winds and low rainfall that make their estate “unique and different wines emerge from other areas of the Ribera del Duero.” They take care of their vineyards following the dictates of organic farming, with manual labor and “with maximum respect and minimal intervention, selecting the best quality of grapes in the vineyard itself.” They add up to a total of 80 hectares planted on a farm with a total area of 100 hectares. Today they have 6 more hectares fallow that they will plant next year.
They purchase 50% of their grapes from trusted winegrowers who have gained loyalty. They vinify and age the wines obtained from each plot separately to “obtain the maximum varietal expression and uniqueness of our terroir.” They say they seek to preserve “the freshness and minerality that our moor provides.” Its production is around 600,000 bottles per year. They only export 17% of their production. Switzerland, Mexico and the United States are its main international markets.
Gran Valtravieso 2018 is, according to its producer, “the icon and ambassador” of the winery. It comes from a selection of the best limestone areas of its La Revilla estate, along with a small percentage of clay. They claim that they use “the most elegant barrels”, those that they have selected by tasting. They also state that the essence of Gran Valtravieso is the terroir from which it comes, the location and characteristics of the moor itself, its climatic conditions and the selection of the best grapes from its old vines. Their vineyard was planted, mainly in glass, a quarter of a century ago in limestone soils, with some clay veins in certain parts of the plot.
They have invested three winters and four years in its preparation. The grapes are selected already in the vineyard and harvested manually in small boxes. They vinify the most limestone parts of the estate and the clay veins separately, with a small percentage of stems in the latter that is defined according to the vintage. They select the deepest and finest barrels to make the Gran Valtravieso cut. The berries undergo a pre-fermentation cold maceration for a week.
For alcoholic fermentation, they use indigenous yeasts, and carry out a post-fermentation maceration after the process. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in both stainless steel tanks and barrels. The aging takes place in fine-grained, medium-toasted French oak barrels (50% new) for 12 months, after which the production continues for another 12 months in a concrete tank. Finally, it is refined for a further 12 months in the bottle before being marketed.
The technical director assures that Gran Valtravieso 2018, a wine that was made for the first time with the 1994 vintage, is “the sublimation of moor wines, combining limestone soils and altitude.” Ricardo Velasco considers that this high-level red wine is “an iron fist with a kid glove”, that is: “expressing the austerity of the Ribera del Duero with finesse and elegance”. He understands that “austerity is often misunderstood,” and adds that “it does not have to be bad, just like simplicity.” In this sense he points out that “elegant things are simple and not complex.” With this 100% fine ink red, therefore, “we try to convey the directness that the terroir gives, without makeup.”
2018 was a fresh and productive year. The vintage was characterized by a mild, rainy and snowless winter, a mild spring, although with plenty of rain, and a warm, dry summer with cool nights. From Valtravieso they affirm that "we can consider this year as good in the Ribera del Duero, with a perfect quality and balance of grapes to make fine, elegant, fresh and crisp wines." The Masters of Wine Tim Atkin and Pedro Ballesteros have respectively awarded this red 97 and 96 points out of 100; while Luis Gutiérrez (The Wine Advocate) gave it 92 points.
Of this vintage, 3,447 bottles have been produced (sample number 2,242 tasted). The bottles are dressed with paper. They define it as “a serious, direct wine, with great finesse and elegance, with structure and mineral character. They highlight the pure expression of the variety, in which the wood from the aging “does not take center stage, but rather accompanies, balances and rounds out the wine.” It is well covered and is the color of cherry cherries. It stands out for its gentle silkiness, elegance and depth. It also shows marked notes of vanilla and cigar box cedar, ripe red and black fruit, licorice, a lactic touch and minerality (an iron note). Despite its 15.5% alcohol, it offers a notable final freshness, almost minty.
From the winery they say that it is ideal to accompany elaborate and powerful stews such as free-range chicken, suckling pig or suckling lamb, as well as with grilled red meats. They add that it pairs perfectly with a variety of desserts, such as dark chocolate cake. The technical director likes to accompany this fine ink with a beef carpaccio with parmesan. It is also ideal to pair with grilled turbot or marmitako.
