The Estate
Where our vineyards are born.
In one of the most privileged areas of Ribera del Duero, we cultivate the vines just as we understand life: with humility and respect, learning from nature, seeking balance and upholding the values of the local surroundings.
The Cruz de Alba vineyard lies close to the village of Padilla de Duero, on the south bank of the Ribera, at an altitude of 750 metros. The estate, flecked with green pine copses, covers a total of 40 hectares of vineyard distributed among 18 plots.
The continental high plateau
Our Ribera is an open landscape with a broad horizon. In the middle, the Duero follows its meandering course, flowing alongside the fine lines of the trees. On these high, flat lands, generation after generation of farmers have grown vines and grain among paramos and isolated hills.
A climate of extremes.
Harsh winters, scorching summers, scarce water and an extreme thermal amplitude. In a climate more challenging than anywhere else in Spain, the grapes show an extraordinary capacity for adaptation. In turn, they receive the gift of a pure and healthy environment and all its benefits.
Sandy soil
The estate’s aptness for winegrowing lies in its exceptional soils. Basic in type, its frank and mostly sandy texture gives fineness and definition to our wines. This unique trait is most notable on important plots like Los Hoyales and the eastern area of Fuentelún.
A world
within each plot.
It is fascinating to observe how a single estate can comprise so many subtleties. The diversity of the soil is paramount, and it is the reason we apply a different winegrowing approach on each of the estate’s 18 plots. We also cultivate each area separately. Some vintages have brought 50 different wines to the bodega.
The history beneath the vines.
Just one kilometre from the Cruz de Alba estate, on the banks of the river Duero, 2,400 years ago there lived an important pre-Roman people associated by some authors with the ancient city of Pintia. Founded by a Celtic people known as the Vacceans, it was used for cattle-rearing, grain farming and commerce, and no doubt winegrowing too.
Although there remains much more to excavate and discover, we know that this nucleus occupied over 100 hectares and was inhabited by Romans first and then by Visigoths. Later, it would disappear forever. Most of the remains are still hidden beneath vineyards and wheat fields.