Like many recent projects undertaken by Torres Family, climate change was very much in the mind of the Catalan group when they expanded into Ribera del Duero in 2004. Their search for cool growing sites at high elevation took them to Fompedraza (Valladolid). This village on the high plateau, locally known as páramo, is just under 10 kilometres south of Peñafiel and benefits from extreme growing conditions at 900 metres above sea level.

Growing vines in these shallow soils with high limestone content is not easy. "It requires considerable previous work, lifting and fracturing the soil so that the plant’s roots can penetrate deeper than 50 centimetres," explains winemaker Juan Ramón García, who also manages the winery.

Pago del Cielo owns 45 hectares of vines on the páramo in Fompedraza plus some additional plots across the Duero river in Piñel and Pesquera, and futher east in the renowned village of La Horra (Burgos).

The first wine, released in the 2005 vintage, was Celeste Crianza (600,000 bottles, €21). Grapes are sourced from local growers based across the DO, from Quitanilla de Onésimo and Olivares on the western end, to Alcubilla de Avellaneda in the province of Soria. "Each area brings different features," says García. In fact, their winemaking philosophy is to vinify by suppliers.

The Reserva (18,000 bottles, €36), whose first vintage was 2014, comes from old vineyards grown on limestone slopes in Fompedraza, Canalejas de Peñafiel and Pesquera (plantings on the páramo are relatively new). These are small plots, many of them found in coves or small valleys hollowed out of the rock, known locally as "boats" (ships). Grapes ripen beautifully here and are usually picked a week earlier than on the páramo.

Whilst fermentations are carried out in stainless steel tanks, the bulk of the ageing takes place in 300-litre oak barrels. The winery is also experimenting with foudres and tinajas (clay vessels). There is a striking contrast between the rich, powerful wines sourced from La Horra and those made from grapes grown on the páramo: lighter but elegant, with bright acidity and marked aromas.

The range has been extended to include Pago del Cielo (€75) and 62 Millas al Cielo (€12.5). Pago del Cielo is the winery's top red. The grapes come from two vineyards: a 32-year-old plot in a site called El Obispo, in Piñel (Valladolid), on limestone soils that lend tension; and a 70-year-old plot in a site called Las Tenadas, in La Horra, on clay and sandy soils that impart structure and intensity.

62 Millas Tinto Fino comes from the high plateau and is aged for nine months in French oak. It seeks to capture the freshness that comes from the elevation. The name indicates the distance between the winery and the Kármán line, which separates the Earth's atmosphere from outer space.

The brand Celeste also includes a range of young entry-level wines: a Roble red from Ribera del Duero, a rosé from Cigales and a Verdejo from Rueda.