With a selection of its best white varieties, Bodegas Hnos. Sastre has entered the white Ribera del Duero with this wine. It is a riverine without the protection of the DO Ribera del Duero since it is made 100% with a very minority variety in the area not included in the specifications of the DO.
It is the jaén, also known as white cayetana, calagraño or white love. It is found especially in denominations of origin such as Montilla-Moriles (Córdoba), Rioja or Ribera del Guadiana (Extremadura). In the case of Bodegas Hnos. Sastre, its Jaén vines were planted in goblet form an average of 70 years ago, well before the creation of the DO Ribera del Duero in 1982.
Its plantation density is 2,200 vines per hectare. Production ranges from 700 grams to 1.5 kilos of grapes per plant. They only make 3,000 bottles a year. In the DO Ribera del Duero, only the white Albillo Mayor variety is currently authorized, historically used to make clarets or to refresh and give acidity to the fine tinta (tempranillo), the queen variety of the region.
The Flavus grapes were harvested in the traditional way “with the greatest respect for the land”, without the addition of mineral fertilizers, herbicides or insecticides. They assure that this is “a way of doing things that determines the personality and quality of our wines”. Its grapes were born in alluvial, silica and sandy soils. Its vineyards are located at an altitude of between 800 and 840 meters above sea level, on small hills facing the Duero and Gromejón river basins, which concentrates the hot summer temperatures and increases maturity and the soil is naturally drained. down the slope All these particularities, they say, contribute to the style of Viña Sastre wine: “resolutely rich, dense, fatty, due to the precocity of its terroir, but also elegant, distinguished, pure and very fresh thanks to the fine red wine and the perfectly balanced composition. balanced, between limestone and sand, of its soils”. They also state that they design their wines from their vineyards.
The 2018 vintage was classified as very good in the Ribera del Duero. The winter was cold and challenging for the vines, reaching temperatures as low as -12ºC. The months of February and March were quite cold. Rain made its appearance in the area, in abundant quantities, at the end of the winter and during the spring. Thus, the outbreak occurred in a general way on the usual dates of the end of April. At the end of June the rains finally stopped and warmer temperatures were recorded.
In July the temperatures were somewhat lower than usual. During the ripening process, with very warm temperatures in September and higher temperatures in October, there was a rapid evolution in the case of the plants that had the least amount of grapes (vineyards affected by frost and those that were older), Subsequently, the winegrowers wait a little longer for the perfect maturation in the case of the plants with the highest production. The harvest campaign was longer, beginning on September 17 and ending just at the end of October.
Each type of wine is harvested manually in 13-kilo boxes separately and taken to its corresponding tank, where it is left to ferment with its own native yeasts, controlling the temperature through tanks with cooling jackets. When the vinification is finished, the wine is stabilized by means of cold, but not by means of machines, if not naturally. They are simply taken to some warehouses abroad, where the temperatures in December and January in Horra reach up to 15º C below zero. In this way, they add, “the wines remain clean in a natural way and without any aggressive physical or chemical method that alters their quality.”
In the case of Flavus 2018 there was a double selection of the grapes. First in the vineyard, cutting only the bunches with good appearance, and then on a sorting table in the winery, removing immature or defective berries. In the winery, the grapes remain for a few hours in a refrigerated room so that they do not suffer oxidation and all their aromas are maintained. It is aged in a stainless steel tank with lees work for about 8 months.
From this prestigious Burgos winery they define it, “without hesitation”, as a wine with great personality. Straw yellow in color with golden reflections, clear and bright. It is not especially aromatic. It expresses florality and ripe fruit (white, tropical like pineapple and stone). With a final note of slightly bitter almond, and with a glyceric tactile sensation. It shows, at the same time, volume, creaminess and roundness, with an interesting acidity that gives it some depth. Still somewhat young despite being from 2018. With 13º of alcohol and closed with a DIAM technological cork.
The owner of this wine project, Jesús Sastre, affirms that “it is a hidden jewel in our oldest vines in La Horra.” He adds that “it is a wine that seeks the maximum expression of the white grapes that our grandparents planted, interspersed in their plots of red grapes.” Suitable to be harmonized with white meats, baked white fish, smoked fish and fish rice. It is also ideal with sausages or with ham cannelloni, chicken livers and bechamel sauce. Jesús Sastre likes to harmonize it with Japanese gastronomy, especially with sushi or a red tuna tartare. It is advisable to serve it at a temperature between 6 and 8º C.
Jesús Sastre affirms that his vision stems from a life dedicated to wine: “I grew up taking care of the vine, in the old vineyards of La Horra, an exceptional terroir that is part of my own person. Hence my passion for wine, for quality, for the tireless search for excellence”. Within this framework, Jesús Sastre points out that “Viña Sastre arises to produce wines with their own character, special wines that can only be achieved by mixing a good terroir, with suitable weather conditions and combining the traditional way of doing things with the most advanced technology. A passion that has become a way of life, my life and that of my family”.
The Sastre saga dates back to the time when Severiano, grandfather of the firm’s current CEO, Jesús, made wine in the underground caves of La Horra (Burgos). His work continued with that of his son Rafael, who founded the current winery in 1992. The Sastre family decided to found that initially small winery where they make wine from their first 23 hectares of vineyards. Little by little, with the benefits obtained, they were acquiring more land and planting more vines. Today there are already 45 hectares in the heart of the DO Ribera del Duero. They affirm that their wines pursue “richness, density, sweetness, elegance, race, purity and freshness”. The winery has also opened up to wine tourism, offering visits, wine tastings and typical local products from Monday to Friday to groups of a maximum of ten people.
