Ribera del Duero is located in the northwest of the country, about two hours north of Madrid, in the center of Castilla y León - Spain’s largest state. Ribera del Duero runs from the east of Aranda del Duero west towards Valladolid. Its name translates as riverbanks of the Duero, with the region’s vineyards flanking the Duero River to the north and south, stretching up to the limestone cliffs where the valley intersects with the Meseta Central - a plateau that rises between 700 and 1,000 meters above sea level. Nearly 95 percent of the DO is planted with Tempranillo. Approximately 35 percent of those vines are 25 years old or older, including about 323 hectares of vines that are more than 100 years old. Ribera del Duero has a Mediterranean climate influenced by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, but the region also experiences a high degree of continentality, marked by long, cold winters and hot, dry summers. The story of Vinícola La Calera began in 2008 when business partners Javier del Blanco and César Arranz founded 3 Ases Vinos in Ribera del Duero. They initially bought grapes and rented space in a winery to produce their wines. Later, they bought their own winery and a 3-hectare plot of Tempranillo. After splitting from their capital partners—who wanted to scale up and become more commercial —they focused on small production, fresh, and expressive wines. They now produce two wines: 3 Ases and Pico del Castro, both from a single plot planted in 1989. Located in Quintanilla de Arriba, the vineyard sits on loamy, limestone soils in Ribera del Duero. The 3 Ases is a fresh take on Ribera del Duero, made exclusively in stainless steel to preserve the grape’s fruit character. It’s light and crunchy with notes of cranberry, strawberry, and white pepper. Pico del Castro is a more traditional Tempranillo, aged briefly in old French oak. It offers rich flavours of blackberry, liquorice, and smoke. They’ve recently acquired 100-year-old dry-farmed vines and plan to produce a tiny batch wine from this site. || Tasting note: Pico del Castro is a more recognisable Ribera style; creamy texture, bold and structured. Deep crimson, full body and crunchy black fruits. Yet the focus is on the minerality of the limestone soils of Quintanilla de Arriba aswell as on the spicy notes of the oak. A touch of cocoa and vanilla too. || Winemaking Detail: Selection takes place in the vineyard and grapes are hand-harvested in 15kg boxes. Spontaneous fermentation in small stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts. Maceration for 2 hours before pressing. Fermentation at 22ºC-24ºC for 12 days, with one punch down and one pump over per day. Malolactic fermentation takes place in 225l French oak barrels (2nd and 3rd year), where it ages for 4 months. || Features Black fruit Damson Oak Rich Savoury
