An unusual producer in Ribera del Duero, pleasure stands above business at Valdeviñas. Its owners are determined to produce the style of wines they really like: reds with extended ageing times in bottle before they are released.
Originally from France, the Mirat family has lived in Spain for several generations. Since the beginning of the 19th century, they developed an intense business activity in the textile, livestock and, particularly, the fertiliser industry. The winery was founded at the end of the 1990s and produced its first vintage in 2000. Modeled on Bordeaux, it produces a first and a second wine and in exceptional vintages, also a Gran Reserva.
Valdeviñas is located in Langa de Duero, one of the first villages in Soria province as you drive from Burgos. They own 20 hectares of Tempranillo planted between 2004 and 2009 to which 11 new hectares were added in 2011. Grapes from very old vines are a major ingredient in the top wines; they are sourced from local purveyors in Langa and nearby villages like Bocigas de Perales or Miño de San Esteban. Soils are mostly sandy-loam and gravelly. A couple of plots have very poor limestone soils. Half of the estate's own vineyards were planted with a massal selection done in 2006.
The winery can handle 200,000 kg of grapes, but the average annual crop ranges between 120,000 and 150,000 kg. Old vines are processed separately. Whereas the top red is fermented in wooden vats, the second wine goes into concrete. Some plots are vinified separately to check their evolution. Maceration usually takes about 30 days; oak-ageing varies between 16 and 18 months. A lot of work is done with the lees, either in tanks or barrels, as they believe this is the best way to tame the powerful tannins of Ribera del Duero. Emmanuel Ivars, a French oenologist based in Ribera, is in charge of winemaking while flying winemaker Georges Pauli, who also hails from France, works as consultant.
Quality standards are very high to the point that they do not produce wine in certain vintages. "At Valdeviñas, I make the wine that I am not allowed to make in other wineries," says Ivars.
Mirat Reserva (€45) is their premium red. Grapes are sourced from very old vines grown on clay soils. Production stands between 10,000 and 20,000 bottles depending on the vintage. The second wine is Tinar de Mirat Selección (20,000 to 40,000 bottles, €25). It can include up to 70% of grapes from their own vineyards. The Gran Reserva is only produced in exceptional vintages and usually comes from specific plots or barrels. Grapes that fail to reach the required quality level of the top wines are destined to a different brand called Torrelanga. It includes an Albillo Mayor white, a rosé and a Crianza.
