"We wanted to develop a unique project, so we came to a unique place," says winemaker César Maté of Tubilla del Lago (Burgos), probably one of the villages with the greatest heritage of old vines in Ribera del Duero. Situated at more than 900 m elevation, under the influence of the Sierra de Cervera, on the northern tip of the right bank of the Duero River, the grapes from this area have traditionally struggled to ripen.

The landscape is dotted with small plots of goblet-pruned vines often surrounded by stone walls or bushes and interspersed with trees. In the past, most of the grapes were sold to cooperatives in nearby villages.

The soils are also remarkable, with an abundance of limestone, due in part to the influence of the river Gromejón, which runs through the village. In fact, Tubilla comes from the Latin tuillan, which means tuff (porous limestone formed by the lime in the water of some springs). Madoz's Dictionary (1850) mentions that Tubilla is located in a "small, marshy valley" and that the climate is rather cold.

Marta Maté has an interesting background. The three partners of Terracota Ingenieros, later joined by César Maté, decided to carry out for themselves the work they usually did for their clients. They planted a 26-hectare vineyard at 910 metres elevation on the high plateau of Gumiel de Mercado. Their main purpose was to sell the grapes, but in 2008 they produced 3,000 bottles of their first wine: Primordium. However, the bodega had to wait until 2012 when they had the chance to buy their current premises in Tubilla del Lago and invest in their vineyards.

They have purchased and leased over 100 small plots (the largest being half a hectare), totalling no more than 20 ha, with vines between 80 and 180 years old. They can be easily identified by a sign with their logo: a pentagonal house that mirrors the glass wall at the front of the winery. They also grow some "younger" vines, planted in the 1970s and 1980s. The plant material is preserved in a germplasm bank.

The vines are certified organic. On the old plots, field blends are very common. Tempranillo is the dominant variety, but Garnacha, Bobal, Albillo and others are also found.

Of the Terracota Ingenieros partners, César, who is responsible for the winemaking, and his wife, Marta Castrillo, who manages the winery, are the most closely involved in Marta Maté.

In terms of winemaking, they do not favour long macerations or heavy extractions. Fermentation is aided with a yeast starter and most of the wines round off the ageing in oak with a period of several months in concrete.

Production is approximately 100,000 bottles. El Holgazán (45,000 bottles, €12) is the entry-level red, made from the youngest vines (around 40 years old). Viñas del Lago (€17, 16,000 bottles) is the wine that, according to César, reflects the character of the village in terms of "latitude, altitude and extreme soils". It also includes the plots with a greater presence of varieties other than Tempranillo, allowing for a significant proportion of Garnacha and Albillo. The wine has red fruit, slightly herbal tannins and more acidity than usual for the area. Marta Maté (€25, 23,000 bottles, around 60 parcels of old vines) seeks the opposite: more Tempranillo and balanced soils from around 60 plots of old vines. The wine is rounder and more enveloping, combining the freshness of the area with the depth of the old vines.

It's worth trying Los Perejiles (just over 1,000 bottles, €100), a single-vineyard red sourced from one of the oldest plots with outcrops of limestone bedrock and a mixture of clay and sand. In addition to depth and freshness, it displays a velvety texture and evocative notes of Mediterranean herbs. The new rosé (€15, 3,000 bottles) made from Tempranillo and 25% Albillo is also highly recommended. Juicy, fruity and with a very pleasant salty edge, it is fermented and aged in concrete.

Primordium (3,000 bottles, €35), the wine that started everything, is still made from grapes grown in Gumiel de Mercado. It is sold as a Reserva and released 10 years after the harvest. The wine is aged for two years in 300-litre barrels plus 15 months in foudres before being bottled. The style is more classic and austere, with more extraction and a chocolate-like character.