A member of the fourth generation of a farming family from Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz, Andalusia), entrepreneur and agronomist Javier Bohórquez set up this project in Ribera del Duero in 1999. He recalls being encouraged to enter the world of wine by the former owners of Château Pavie.
He favoured the chalky soils in the Valladolid area because he was convinced that they would suit his idea of making elegant wines. His vineyards are in the vicinity of Pesquera de Duero, most of them in Valdestremero, a cool, high (900m) area where vines’ vigour is moderate. He also owns vineyards in the limestone plateau and in a lower altitude area with stony and sandy soils by the Duero river. Tempranillo along with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot make up most of the 17 hectares under vine. Javier reckons that Cabernet and Merlot “adds backbone to the more delicate, lower-acidity Tempranillo”. They only use their own grapes, thus in difficult years production can drop significantly. All vineyards have an irrigation system installed to avoid a halt in the ripening process caused by hydric stress. Natural yeasts are the norm here and aging takes place in French and American oak barrels in almost equal proportions.
Located on the road from Pesquera to Peñafiel, the cellar blends in gracefully with the surrounding landscape –in fact it feels like it has always been there.
Wines are more restrained than most Riberas. At Bohórquez elegance and balance are always preferred to power and wines go through an extra maturation stage in the cellar that soften tannins while adding distinctive spiciness. Cardela Crianza (around €12 in Spain) is the entry-level red followed by Bohórquez Reserva (€19). Both are blends of Tempranillo (almost up to 90%), Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
