Carmelo Rodero is one of Ribera del Duero’s best-known names. As the owner of the winery that bears his name, he successfully made the transition from grape grower to winemaker in the 1990s.

Born in Pedrosa de Duero (Burgos) into a humble family in the late 1940s, Carmelo had to leave school at the age of 10 to help out in the fields. The Rodero family had always owned vineyards, but in those days they barely generated any income, and many growers chose to pull up their vines and plant cereal crops instead. Young Carmelo, however, noticed producers from Valladolid coming to buy grapes and saw an opportunity if the local cooperative in Pedrosa could be restructured. When it refused, he began selling the grapes from the four small plots he owned to Vega Sicilia, reinvesting everything he earned until he had built up 90 hectares.

After 14 years selling his fruit to Vega Sicilia, where, he says, he learnt that you cannot make good wine without good grapes, he made his first vintage as a winemaker in 1991.

The winery, built in 2013, is in Pedrosa and vinifies grapes from around 175 hectares owned by the Rodero family, mainly planted with Tinto Fino (Tempranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec, although it also has experimental varieties such as Syrah and Petit Verdot. Today, Carmelo Rodero’s daughters, Beatriz and María, the fifth generation of grape growers, run the winery alongside their father. Beatriz studied agricultural engineering and oenology in Bordeaux before travelling to South Africa and California and then returning to the family winery. María studied Business Administration and Economics and is responsible for sales, marketing and design.

Carmelo Rodero’s vineyards, located at between 750 and 900 metres above sea level in Pedrosa and other villages in Burgos, combine plots that are 80-100 years old with younger vineyards. The winery also buys 10% of its production from growers in areas such as Segovia and Moradillo, where there are more gravelly soils, contrasting with Pedrosa’s profile. They are not organically certified, but avoid herbicides and use under-vine cultivators. Trellised vines account for 60% of the vineyard and are gradually becoming more prevalent than bush vines (40%). They carry out late pruning and cordon training, with yields of around 4,500 kg/ha, and only remove leaves on the west-facing side of the canopy to avoid excessive sun exposure on the bunches.

The fermentation hall was designed by Carmelo Rodero himself. One of its most striking features is the arrangement of the tanks on a rotating platform, which positions them directly beneath the sorting conveyor, allowing all the work to be carried out by gravity. The system also facilitates extraction through a délestage system using ovis, large stainless steel mobile vessels. Each plot and variety is vinified separately.

Using this system, the Rodero family produces around 950,000 bottles a year across half a dozen wines. The wine that built the winery a loyal following in its early days was its young Tempranillo. Today, however, production is very limited, and it is only available in local restaurants. The de facto entry-level wine is now Carmelo Rodero 9 Meses (500,000, €15). Like Carmelo Rodero (350,000 bottles, €25), both include 10% Cabernet, Merlot and Albillo in the blend. The word Crianza has disappeared from the label of the red Carmelo Rodero, although it still carries the official category strip. It is a polished, approachable wine with a generous concentration of black fruit, balsamic and spicy notes, and spends 14 months in 225-litre barrels.

The former Reserva is now the winery’s village wine, Raza (67,000 bottles, €45). The name refers to its origins, as it comes from four sites in Pedrosa. It is 100% Tempranillo from old vines in Quintana, Boada, Guzmán and Pedrosa and is aged for 20 months in new French oak, which gives it toasted notes and power. The premium wines, of which between 10,000 and 20,000 bottles are made depending on the vintage, come from the oldest vineyards. They are characterised by high intensity and fruit quality, with a focus on texture and elegant tannins to counterbalance the weight of the oak. Pago de Valtarreña (22 months’ ageing, €65) comes from a small Tempranillo plot planted by Carmelo’s father; plant material from these vines is used to replant new plots. TSM (17 months’ ageing, €65), meanwhile, takes its name from the initials of tinto fino (75%), Cabernet (10%) and Merlot (15%) and is not released every year.

Carmelo Rodero sells around 80% of its production in Spain, which it manages through a system of allocations, while the remaining 20% goes to international markets, particularly Latin America. The winery offers wine tourism tours for small groups by prior reservation.