Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain

Composition: 81% Tempranillo and 19% Cabernet Sauvignon

History: The first written proof of the existence of this Duero farm refers to its founder, the Franciscan monk Pedro de Villacreces, who established a monastery in this wonderful place as a place to pray and grow food. For several centuries Villacreces was a place of retreat for Franciscan monks to meditate, repent, work the land and contemplate nature. After the Mendizábal Confiscations in 1836, the land passed into private hands; those of the Marquis Teodosio Alonso-Pesquera, royal senator of Alfonso XIII. Soon after, the king granted the Marquis water rights to the Duero River. The second Marquis sold the estate to the Cuadrado de Valladolid family at the beginning of the 20th century. They used the estate as a vacation home, where they entertained many famous guests, including Peter Sisseck, who used the cellar and part of the vineyard to make his Flor de Pingus. In 2004 Gonzalo and Lalo Antón met the Cuadrado family. The Antón family already ran a winery in Rioja (Izadi) and in Toro (Vetus), and had been studying the Ribera de Duero for some time. Pedro Cuadrado hinted at his interest in leaving his wine business and farm in good hands. The Antóns responded and soon became the owners of one of the most spectacular vineyards in the Ribera del Duero. After rebuilding the winery and restoring the vineyard, Villacreces was relaunched in 2007.

Tasting Notes:

Intense cherry red color, with garnet tones. Complex aroma provided by the three vintages that make up the wine. The increased proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon highlights an intense aroma of ripe fruit, licorice with mineral and balsamic nuances. The wood is well integrated thanks to the refinement in foudre that gives it that finesse in all aspects. On the palate it has a fatty and voluminous entry, which accompanies us until the end, being long and persistent. What we perceive in the nose is transferred to the mouth, being tasty accompanied by ripe tannins.