Finca Torremilanos - Ribera del Duero 'Ojo Gallo' Clarete 2021

Pablo Peñalba López acquired the Finca Torremilanos estate in 1975 with 60 hectares of vines (now grown to almost 200 hectares of vineyards)—seven years before Ribera del Duero was even recognized as an appellation. He immediately began producing estate-bottled wines of remarkable quality, moving away from the former practice of selling bulk grapes to the local co-op. Pablo continued to develop and showcase the potential of the land across a wide range of soils (sand, rounded river stones, clay, limestone) and exposures.

By the early 2000s, their eldest son, Ricardo, had stepped into his father’s role and began investigating organic and biodynamic farming methods, including returning to horse-plowing, hand picking, and native-yeast fermentation. In 2015 they became the first in the appellation to be Demeter certified. Since 1988 they have even produced their own barrels of French and American oak at their in-house cooperage.

The wine is fermented in cement tanks and aged in used barrels for 8 months, without any added sulfites, to maintain its pure, natural character .

"The clarete rosé 2021 Ojo de Gallo was produced with 50% Tempranillo and the rest mixed varieties like Albillo, Viura, Pirules, Garnacha, Cariñena, Airén, etc. It has 13.75% alcohol with a pH of 3.52 and five grams of acidity. It was foot trodden and racked after two days of fermentation in barrel and concrete. It matured in barrel for seven months, followed by a further three months in concrete. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered and without any added sulfur in July 2022. It's a ruby color that most people would consider a red, a light red, and it has an expressive and lively nose. It's tasty and has a medium-bodied palate that reveals chalky tannins and a long, supple and almost salty finish, with marked rusticity. Irreverent and lovely! 4,000 bottles produced." - 92 Points, Wine Advocate

Producer: Bodegas Peñalba López

Country: Spain

Region: Castilla y León

Varietal: Tempranillo

Appellation: Ribera del Duero

Vintage: 2021

Size: 750ml