Feature : Ribera del Duero

Bodegas Valduero

This wine producer is dedicated to producing premium wines for the most discriminated wine aficionados and restaurateurs catering to these clients. The company was founded in 1984 as one of the founding members of the Ribera del Duero D.O.

Gregorio García Álvarez (industrial engineer) founded the winery in 1984. In 1987, his daughter Yolanda García Viadero joined the winery’s technical management (agronomist and Master’s in Oenology), and immediately afterward, her sister Carolina (with an MBA in Art and History) joined to develop the commercial side of the business.

Photo provided by Bodegas Valduero

Feature : Ribera del Duero

The winery has extensive underground cellars, engineered and designed by Gregorio. The family initially focused exclusively on producing Gran Reserva and Reserva wines. So, depending on the quality of each harvest year, they sometimes decide not to make wine, selling off grapes to other wine producers. These ultra-high standards have earned Valduero a reputation for being one of Europe’s best producers of premium-quality wine.

In November 2011, they launched the exclusive La Tenada Membership Club, allowing consumers, celebrities, and restaurateurs to purchase full barrels of their wine. The club is promoted as the most exclusive wine club in the world. The club was inaugurated by Mr. Vicente del Bosque, coach of the Spanish Football Team. Dire Straits Co-founder and lead guitarist Mark Knopfler and Spanish opera great Plácido Domingo are just three of the celebrity club members.

Members purchase a barrel of wine (300-750ml bottles) and get to sign the barrelhead, which ceremonially gets permanently displayed in a special area of Valduero’s wine cellar. Members can bring up to twenty guests to Valduero for a VIP tour and lunch.

Darcy and I visited on our last day in Ribera del Duero. Export Area Manager Lorenzo Breschi, a seasoned wine professional born in Italy, greeted us. Lorenzo informed us upfront that meeting Yolanda may not be possible since she was actively involved in the harvest. We briefly watched Yolanda power walk to the wine cellars at a superhero speed.

Photo provided by Bodegas Valduero

Lorenzo gave me a proper tour of the vast cellars. Darcy hitched a ride to Valduero’s exclusive restaurant that is run by Michelin Star Chefs. Lorenzo and I joined Darcy in the restaurant after I toured the cellars, the photography exhibit, and a preview of the many signed barrelheads.

When we arrived, we were met by a group of five restaurateurs and their significant others from Puerto Rico. The group had just signed a barrel head and were celebrating that they were newly installed club members.

We sat with Lorenzo, who guided us through tasting four different wines. I was told that Yolanda had been one of the biggest proponents of the Albillo grape in Ribera del Duero for many years before it was officially approved by the D.O. in 2019.

Wines Tasted:

Valduero Blanco 2021 ***** $25-30

100% Albillo sourced from a fifteen-year-old vineyard. Pale straw color. Floral aromas of pineapple and grapefruit. Intense citrus flavors with a long finish. Forty-two thousand bottles were produced.

Valduero Una Cepa 2017 ****1/2 $45-50

100% Tinto Fino sourced from a fifty-year-old vineyard. Aged for eighteen months in French oak barrels, then aged an additional twelve months in bottles. Ruby/ Cherry Color. Aromas of blueberry and cherry. Flavors of fresh red currant, plums, and leather. One hundred and eighty thousand bottles were produced.

Valduero Tierra Alta De 2 Cotas 2015 ***** $60

100% Tempranillo sourced from a forty-year-old vineyard. Aged for thirty months in French oak barrels. Bright purple color. Aromas of dark fruit, tobacco, and leather. Bright, juicy, blackberry, plum, coffee, and mocha flavors. Excellent tannins with a long finish. Seventy-two thousand bottles were produced.

Valduero 6 Años Reserva Premium 2014 ***** $90-100

100% Tempranillo sourced from a forty-year-old vineyard. Aged for 36 months in barrels and an additional 36 months in bottles. Intense dark ruby color. Aromas of plum, cedar, and coffee. Very floral, blueberry, plum, and red fruit flavors. Long finish. This wine is Valduero’s Opus! Thirty thousand bottles were produced.

Bodegas Valduero

https://bodegasvalduero.com/en/