| Having enjoyed their wines for
several years remotely, I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit
Bodegas Félix Callejo in Sotillo de la Ribera, in the
north of Ribera del Duero. We drive about 45 minutes north from Madrid. |
| The winery is situated in one
of the finest wine regions in the world. The wines are so
beautiful, so sublime, they're among the very best you'll ever
find. In all my years as a wine writer, this winery is one of
the most significant I have discovered. |
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We
arrive at the winery Saturday just before noon. It's a clean and
attractive facility. But the best part of the experience are the people
and the wines!
We were greeted
warmly by Félix Callejo and daughter Beatriz, marketing manager. More about the stunning wines in due
time.
CLICK ANY
PHOTO TO ENLARGE |
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Beatriz tells us of the founding of the bodega by her
father in 1989 and his vision for producing world-class
wines. They have 100 hectares of planted vineyards. She
tells us of the advantages of the area. At 850 meters to
960 metres, it is high ground with extreme weather.
The Ribera del Duero has low
rainfall, and a wide range of temperature extremes (-18
C to 40 C). Day to night differences can be as much as
15 degrees! The soils on the property are sandy, clay,
boulder, lime and limestone. All of these conditions
provide the most ideal environment for grape-growing
that I've ever seen, personally. |
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| RIBERA DEL DUERO on the map.
Sotillo de la Ribera is in the North of the Denominación
de Origen (DO) of Ribera del Duero. The Callejo family's
philosophy is to respect the estate land and its
life-giving force in a genuine, thoughtful and natural
way. This includes their organic farming techniques.
They plant cover crops to avoid erosion and improve soil
structure. It also creates an environment beneficial to
pest predators. They use NO pesticides. They do however
treat the plants with seaweed, chamomile, field
horsetail, nettle and other natural substances. Canopy
management is vigorous and intelligently thought-out. |
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At the conclusion of Beatriz's presentation, Félix asks, "do you want a tour of the winery first, or do you want to eat
and taste our wines?" We opt for the latter. Plenty of time to see
things a bit later.
There's a
kitchen just off the tasting area. Félix puts on a white coat and starts
cooking up a storm. We sample eggs, sausages, bread & cheeses, deliciously and
lovingly prepared. They start opening the 7 wines in their range of
products. |
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Each of the wines is made from
Tempranillo (Tinto Fino).
The 100 hectares of vineyards are planted to Tempranillo. Harvest begins
end of September when the days are quite warm and the nights are cool.
The vineyards are beside the winery building and all around it. |
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Notice how healthy the vines are! Without spray, they
are tended naturally, thus enabling perfectly healthy
grapes to grow.
Our tasting started from the least costly to
the most costly.
SELECTED TASTING NOTES
- CUATRO: Aged 4 months in oak, this is the
beginning of greatness among wines. A very balanced &
aristocratic red that will wow anyone who tries it.
- Felix Callejo Family Reserve 05: Rated
97+ points by Robert Parker, this wine is one of the best
red wines I've ever tasted (which is only about 4,000 to this
point). A gem.
AVAILABLE AT LCBO VINTAGES IN ONTARIO.
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The winery has large barrique (shown above) and stainless tanks. These
oak vats allow for microoxygenation in which very small
quantities of air are introduced to the fermentation.
Great care is given
throughout the process of harvest, hand-sorting, vinification, and
bottling.
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After strolling through the vineyards, Félix and
Beatriz pose with me for a
photo. |
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| The Callejo family in the
impressive barrel room. French oak barrels, then long
times in bottle. |
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| Cristina Callejo, Marketing
and Export Manager. Master Viticulturalist. Travelling
the world since 1991. |
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José Félix Callejo,
winegrower, winemaker. Master of Oenology and
Viticulturalist.
Gained experience with Torres (Chile) in 2000 and with
Petrus (yes, THE Petrus). |
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Noelia Callejo. Works
closely with José Félix in the winegrowing and
winemaking process. She is an Agricultural Engineer with
an Oenology degree.
Gained experience with Viña
Cobos (Argentina) in 2008 and Araujo (Napa Valley) in
2007.
Noelia's Blog:
http://www.noecallejo.blogspot.ca/ |
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| This is the first sorting
table. Great care is taken to keep only the best grape
clusters and to de-stem. |
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As
we leave these wonderful people and savour the lingering finish of the
wines on our palates, we look back at the winery and the statue of a
rather interesting man!
MY TWITTER
http://www.twitter.com/thewinebaron |
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