Our first tasting of the year featured a selection of wines from Dominio de Atauta guided by winemaker Jaime Suárez. In 2025, this winery that put Soria on the map of top Ribera del Duero wines thanks to its impressive heritage of old and pre-phylloxera vines, will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its first 2000 vintage.
The flagship red Dominio de Atauta and the sought-after single vineyard wines have been joined in recent years by two additional single vineyard expressions, San Juan and La Roza, the entry-level red Parada de Atauta and a white Albillo Mayor which was first released in the 2020 vintage.
With an annual production of 70,000 bottles, Parada de Atauta the wine with the most growth potential. Its rounder, more accessible style comes from the sandy soils of the Atauta Valley and the small hamlet of Ines. The 2021 vintage stands out for its smooth texture, fruity character and pleasant mid-palate.
We also tasted the Dominio de Atauta 2020. According to Jaime Suárez, this vintage is rounder than the 2021 that has just been released. The focus here is on the clay soils, which, as Suárez explains, “ provide broader tannins and greater freshness due to the lower pH.”. The result is a much more structured red, with the depth and length of old vines. At just over €30 a bottle in Spain, it represents excellent value, particularly given the rising prices of the more established Ribera del Duero brands and the unique quality of the vines involved.
It was very interesting to taste Valdegatiles 2016 again since my last visit to the winery in 2021. The explosive character it showed then has evolved into a sumptuous red, with notes of dark chocolate and confiture, and remarkable volume. It comes from a rather extreme soil (two metres of red clay) and Suárez believes that, along with Dominio de Atauta, this wine offers the greatest ageing potential. Indeed, the weight of the fruit is still remarkable.
A great deal of effort is now put into the white wine, made from Albillo Mayor vines interspersed with Tempranillo in the Atauta Valley.Grapes are selected from both the winery\'s own vineyards and those of its suppliers. Clay and sand are mixed, but with a focus on the limestone subsoil, which is more evident in shallower soils. . Although the wine was initially made in oak, the winemaking has evolved to include three distinct vinifications in stainless steel tanks: direct pressing to develop the aromas, a 24-48-hour maceration to highlight the limestone character, and a skin contact fermentation to add depth and structure, but closely controlled to avoid excessive tannins. The wine is then aged in 500- and 600-litre seasoned barrels and in a 600-litre tinaja. Bâtonnage is carried out to add texture and balance the verticality of the wine. Bottling and release have been delayed to obtain a more serious, complex white.
The 2023 I tasted will not be released until the end of this year, but it shows great promise. With a subtly smoky nose, it opens roundbefore sharpening to a distinctly chalky finish. The alcohol content, which reached 13.5% in 2022, has dropped to 12% abv in 2023, in line with the first two vintages and the levels Jaime Suárez is looking for.
Without losing sight of the vineyards, which are the true soul of the winery, Dominio de Atauta enters 2025 as a richer and more diverse expression of Ribera del Duero.
Author
Amaya Cervera
A wine journalist with almost 30 years' experience, she is the founder of the award-winning Spanish Wine Lover website. In 2023, she won the National Gastronomy Award for Gastronomic Communication
Previous Post
