1. THE VINEYARDS & WINERY
  2. Hillside vineyards

HILLSIDE VINEYARDS

From the experiences of our elders we learned that hillside plots were the best location for vineyards because of the terrain, the orientation and ventilation, and the grapes were less prone to frost risk—all conditions that result in better maturation and a quality vintage.

Our wines originate from grapes cultivated on south-facing slopes at elevations between 750 and 900 meters, upon trellises running north to south, which serves to distribute the hot summer sun and also assures abundant light throughout the year.

Milénico wines come from six select hillside plots that border the river Duero. In total, the area is just under nine hectares and we know each plot by name. Socastillo (Foot of the Castle), Carraroa (The Way to Roa), Rodero, Solapeña (Lone Ridge) and Valdepila in Agujerón (synonymous with grand chasm).

They are names that, for us, symbolize yet another part of our culture—family, home, and being part of a timeless tradition.

Because of its location halfway between the valley and the highlands, the hillsides enjoy natural ventilation which makes for a perfect grape at maturity.

These are the ideal conditions for the grape to mature to perfection and remain unblemished, and is the optimal setting for the vintage harvest.

Our vineyards are situated on hillsides on the right bank of the Duero River in San Martín de Rubiales, a village between Roa and Peñafiel, themselves centers of culture and tradition of the Ribera del Duero region.

These slopes were the principle refuge for the vineyard in the last century, after having suffered two historic retreats. The first was due to phylloxera (1904), which resulted in many people relocating to America, and the second was with the arrival of irrigation in the 1950s.

In our childhood we learned at home that the tastiest grapes, although also the smallest, were to be found at the top of the hills. The birds knew this too and they showed us where to find the most wholesome and sweetest grapes.
 

THE HILLSIDE ADVANTAGE

Because of its ideal location, the hillsides assure us that even if conditions get tough, their better ventilation and light exposure and lesser unwanted vegetation will provide us an optimum grape regardless of what the year brings. This allows us to naturally achieve high quality grapes for making wine year in and year out.

The hillsides are generally poor and austere lands, which sets a natural limit to our production and consequently provides the impetus for basing our production on quality.

The lack of rain, the inclined terrain and the little supplementary water after planting all encourage the roots of the vine to penetrate deeply into the earth to find sustenance.

This allows us to extract and share the grape's spirit which comes from limestone-clay soils that are the result of erosion and alluvial processes over millions of years.

Location is often a crucial factor for achieving perfect maturation in our region, where it is not uncommon that the final weeks of September and the first ones of October (important weeks for full ripening) are accompanied by a mix of rain, fog, and alternating heat and cold.

THE SOIL

The soil is a mixture of lime, clay, sand and calcareous rock. It is the result of millions of years of erosion, sedimentation and changes in the composition of the soil at the confluence where the river meets the valley border. The soil is thus quite diverse, with different proportions of minerals, although dominated by limestone and clay, and with a range of different textures.

The mostly sandy soils of the slopes have high porosity, which allows an easy transference of heat to the ground, which is beneficial for vegetative development. In addition, the loose texture allows water to easily penetrate to the depth where the roots of the vines reach.

CLIMATE

Our so-called continental climate is characterized by long, cold winters and summers that are short and hot, with precipitation around 450 liters per square meter and 2,300 hours of sunshine per year.

In our extreme continental weather conditions, the combination of specific factors such as the placement of plots on south-facing slopes, the proximity to the river, and the existence of specific soils that limit frost damage allow us to produce unblemished and mature fruit year after year in this wine region.

Summers are dry with temperatures up to 35-40°C, and in winter it can drop to -20°, but usually never colder than -5° to -10°C.

The average annual temperature is about 11°C with a frost-free period of 120 days while the average growing season is 180 days. Because of this and the high elevations, getting grapes to fully ripen is a challenge every year in our region.

Furthermore, in the summer and autumn months when the vineyard is developing its fruit, there are marked differences in temperature from day to night.

In high summer the daytime temperature may reach 40ºC and, at night, it may drop to as low as 10ºC, creating a frost danger at the beginning and end of the season.

This temperature change benefits the vine because it allows it to “sleep”, or remain dormant, at night, thereby creating daily cycles that give an unmistakably distinctive character to the wine.

This requires that the vine's annual growth period be relatively short, and when coupled with the strong contrasts of daytime and nighttime temperatures, it makes the vine develop a unique character, with copious structure and great longevity. Hence, we have achieved here the perfect adaptation of the Tempranillo variety, which, as its name suggests, is a variety that matures early. Because it also buds and sets its fruit late, this variety avoids possible spring frosts.

OUR PRACTICE OF FARMING

The main objective of our agricultural practices is to encourage the growth of healthy vines using the least intervention possible in order ensure the optimal ripening that is necessary for a fine wine.

In addition, we increase the tasks done by hand in order to adapt the vines and fruit to their fullest potential, which further reinforces them against the adverse elements.
This respect for the environment means that we do not use chemical fertilizers or herbicides, and we hold ourselves to using only very moderate amounts of powdered sulfur. This allows us to minimize the use of pesticides and, in some cases, avoid them altogether.

Our family orientation allows us to know each vine as if it were an extension of ourselves.

The winter pruning, the green pruning, and the thinning of grape clusters and clearing away of dead branches are all tasks that either remove excess vegetation or fruit, which maintains a better equilibrium for the plant and produces a healthier grape that is able to mature under the best conditions.

This ongoing relationship with vine and vineyard results in a deep understanding of its rhythms and needs, which, at the end of the day, results in an exceptional grape.

Factors such as the vineyard's environment and the biodiversity that surrounds it are very important. When it has been wet enough, our vineyards maintain a green cover that minimizes tillage, helps to retain the scarce rainfall, and promotes biodiversity. This amplifies and activates the micro-flora and micro-fauna which play a role in balancing the ecosystem of the vineyard and reinforcing it against pests and diseases.

These methods are in line with our objective of maintaining both our existing vineyards and new plots according to the best accepted practices of organic farming.

THE HARVEST

Every year is different, but on average, harvesting takes place between the last week of September and the first week of October, moving forward or backward a week or, at most, two, depending on that year's weather which determines the optimal point of organoleptic and phenolic maturity.

When the right moment arrives for each plot, the grapes are harvested by hand and collected in boxes, each holding 10-15 kilograms. The first selection of grape clusters occurs in the vineyard and, while there, anything that is not in perfect condition is discarded.

When the grapes arrive at the winery, their temperature is stabilized in a cooling chamber for 16-24 hours, allowing us to lower the temperature to around 5°C. The cold allows us to get the conditions of the freshly harvested grape under control, prevent oxidation and premature fermentation, and allows us to do a hand-selection of grapes at the winery under the best conditions.

Once in the winery, the grapes that are too ripe or underripe are removed one by one. Another selection occurs as the grapes leave the cooling chamber. Several people participate to eliminate all but the healthy, unblemished grapes. This is an additional selection that supplements the one done by hand during harvest.

At the end of the conveyor belt, a destemmer is in operation, slowly revolving to separate grapes from stems. The slow speed is essential so as not to extract any green stem flavor and to preserve the grape intact. The grapes, having been removed from the bunch, now go through a final selection before entering the fermentation tanks.

The loose grapes are examined again, so that the little green pieces that might have remained after destemming can be manually removed by hand, thus avoiding the transmission of unwanted herbaceous or astringent flavors.

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