Robert Parker awards 2023

Robert Parker has awarded with extraordinary scores to the complete Resalte wines.

All 6 wines of the Resalte brand have more than 90 points in the Wine Advocate magazine, reaching an amazing 94 points for Essences Cuvée Nº2. These scores have been awarded after the wine tasting done by Luis Gutiérrez, the Spain delegate of this prestigious magazine.

Scores of Parker are widely recognized in the wine market, and scores of 90+ points are synonymous with the highest quality and a global benchmark. We are especially proud of the consistency in quality that these scores demonstrate. Also with Albor de Resalte, our first DO Ribera del Duero white wine with the Albillo Mayor variety.

  • Essences Cuvée nº2 (VC): 94 pts.
  • Gran Resalte 2019: 92 pts.
  • Resalte Expresión 2018: 92 pts
  • Origen de Resalte 2019: 91 pts
  • Resalte Vendimia Seleccionada 2020: 90+ pts
  • Albor de Resalte: 91 pt

These scores, together with others received by other critics in the sector, are a great recognition of our work and help us to position our products on an international scale at a high quality wine level.

These recognitions encourage us to continue working to achieve excellence.

Baños de Valdearados, the hidden village from Ribera del Duero in Burgos.

Baños de Valdearados is a tiny village from Burgos’ province in Ribera del Duero DO. It is at 900m high (2950ft.), at 16km northeast from Aranda de Duero. Nowadays, the population is 340 inhabitants, but it was around 1,000 during 1900.

Origins Baños de Valdearados

The origin of Baños de Valdearados is likely from the Roman Empire Era, as deposits of astonishing mosaics from the IV and V century show. One of these representing God Bacchus, thus linking this area to an ancient winemaking tradition and roots.

mosaico baños valdearados

 

These ruins belong to a big house foundation with a heating system using underground air streams.

Viñedos en Baños de Valdearados

This is a very important village for Resalte’s wines. Opposite to other areas where cereal and beetroot fields have replaced vines, Baños de Valdearados shelters some of the oldest vineyards. These are usually distributed in very very tiny estates, on calcareous soils and on high elevations. These three factors make these estates very interesting to produce fresh and elegant wines.

viñedos banos valdearados (1)

The average temperature is lightly lower than in other areas from Ribera del Duero. Usually, the vegetative cycle is slower and that lag is kept during the whole process. As a result, this area is one of the latest to be harvested. By the end of September – beginning of October the ripening process is completed, later than in other areas. Vines, as they suffer less stress, preserve high acidity levels and lower alcohol contents, showing a great polyphenolic ripeness and a perfect balance. 

Most of our vineyards are on plateaus, above 900m high (2950ft.). Furthermore, some of our vineyards are on slopes orientated to the Southeast, where the sunlight during the sunrise is received to awake the vine meanwhile the radiation during the sunset is avoided as it is usually higher and potentially more harmful. Soils are predominantly clay-calcareous, one of the soils with the highest enological value.

¿What to do in Baños de Valdearados?

The ruins of the Roman mosaic are open to visits from Wednesday to Sunday. We strongly recommend booking an appointment to schedule your visit.

 

By the end of August, the village celebrates Bacchus’ festivity. Then, the village recreates parades of Roman soldiers and the atmosphere of the Empire, such as mosaic and leather workshops and archeology seminars.

 

baños valdearados fiesta-romana

Fuentenebro: The hidden treasure of Ribera del Duero

Fuentenebro is probably the village we felt in love the most when we visited its vineyards for the first time. That was back in 2012, the moment when we discovered the small treasure Ribera del Duero, had for us, a small village in Burgos’ province. 

Viñedos from Fuentenebro

Fuentenebro is the key element in one of the most valuable wine in Bodegas Resalte: Resalte Expresión. Vineyards from Fuentenebro are small and very old. Yields are extremely low with a very limited number of estates and with Tempranillo vines mixed with white varietals as Albillo Mayor and white Garnacha.

The characteristic red colour of the soils from Fuentenebro is the result of iron oxide compounds. Clay soils are usually very good keeping water. Furthermore, our vineyards are oriented to the south, so the solar exposure is maximized. These conditions are essential to achieve the optimum ripeness and have enough available water reserves to complete the vegetative cycle during our hot and dry summer without an excessive hydric stress.

Moreover, the elevation is another important factor. All these together with the local weather from Fuentenebro are required elements to achieve an outstanding ripeness but with high acidity, an unreplaceable characteristic of wines with long ageing potential

viñedos fuentenebro

Grapes from Fuentenebro

All grapes from Fuentenebro are grown, produced and aged independently in order to preserve and enhance the terroir of this area.

Among all plots from Fuentenebro, 2 vineyards are chosen to produce Resalte Expresión and Origen de Resalte. Generally speaking, wines are powerful, full bodied, with a ripe nose and a fine minerality.

We believe so strongly in the quality of the wines from Fuentenebro we are planting new vines, especially on those high-altitude areas above 950m high (3116ft.)

An exhaustive research has been done in collaboration with our vine growers to study different Tempranillo clones. The goal is to know which clone has the best behavior in the area to achieve the best adaptation and quality. Thus, these clones will be grown on our new estates.

 

uvas fuentenebro

Where is Fuentenebro

Fuentenebro is located at the South of Burgos province. 100km away from the capital and just at 20km from Aranda de Duero. The village was known as Fuente Enebro back in ancient times and belonged to Torregalindo’s jurisdiction.

The latest census of population in Fuentenebro showed 131 inhabitants. This number has decreased during the last years. By the beginning of the 19th century, Fuentenebro had 1,000. In addition, Fuentenebro has become older as its vineyards, being the average age 80 years old.

Although it is a region with a very low population, it is one of the vast villages of Castilla y León with an extension of 38,69km2.

What to visit in Fuentenebro

The red soils are the most iconic thing in the landscape of this village from Burgos. Vulture nests are very common as well as some marine fossils. These are coming from several thousand years ago when the area was under water.

The red dust coming from the fields are something even more noticeable while you go for a walk around the streets of Fuentenebro and the reddish dust covers the walls of the houses. On the top of the rock of Fuentenebro, there is a watchtower which was used to defend the Torregalindo’s castle.

Two buildings are remarkable as artistic patrimony of the village: The Renaissance San Lorenzo church and the Castle of La Peña. This belonged to the Count of Siruela and it is a Cultural Interest Site since 1949.

fuentenebro resalte

Local festivity

This small village of Ribera del Duero has two festivities. The Festivity of Nuestra Señora del Carmen is on the 16thof July. Later during August, Saint Lorenzo festivity.

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International presence of Bodegas Resalte

Resalte is present in more than 40 countries all over the world, since from our beginnings, we have considered international markets of great relevance.

Commercial work

During the last months of the year, a great commercial effort is made by our importers, and from the winery we try to support them so that they can carry out a good campaign. This is part of the close commercial relationship that we always maintain with each of our clients, strengthening our mutual trust year after year.

JyskVIn VinFestival

As part of these promotions, some of them organize wine festivals for their own clients. These are open-door events in which, for one or two days, importers show their portfolio to the attending public. Restaurants owners, wine shops and distributors, as in many cases the final customers, have the opportunity to attend and taste a wide variety of wines from various producers.

Some of the markets where our wines are present

This is the case of one of our main clients in Belgium, who every year organizes its “Wine Village” for three days during the third week of September. We travel there, along with other participating wineries, to support our client and promote the sales of our wines. Our work is important, because this way attendees can speak directly with the representatives of each winery and learn first-hand everything they need to know about the wine that they are tasting.

Wine Village Kapellen

The next event we attended was a few weeks later in Denmark, where our Danish client held his “VinFestival” on Saturday October 30th in the town of Randers. The event took place in Ridehuset Randers, a former equestrian center from 1887 that today is a multifunctional building used for cultural and commercial events. In total, about 700 people attended, who were able to enjoy the wines from 10 wineries coming from different regions of France, Spain, United States, Italy and Portugal.

From there, we traveled to the Netherlands to visit an importer with whom we had recently started working with our Resalte range. In this event held at “De Hall Woerden” and which he organized hand in hand with another importer in the area, there were more than 300 attendees who were organized in different shifts to be able to respect the allowed capacity. In addition to showing the wines at our table, a Masterclass was given for a group of 15 people, in which we were able to teach them important aspects about the Ribera del Duero, the Tempranillo grape, the vineyards and the way we work at Bodegas Resalte.

All this work of our commercial team is reflected in the growing presence of Resalte wines in foreign markets, which strengthens its image as a prestigious Ribera del Duero winery on the international scene.

Export Department
Bodegas Resalte

Wine bottling

Wine bottling is the end of the road of its production process, the last stage in which the winemaker can interfere. Once bottled, the wine goes through a slow but beautiful process of improvement and refinement that will further enhance its organoleptic profile. It is a process of great technical load, because without absolute control of the process, all the previous work can end up reducing the final quality of the wine.

Wine bottling: Previous steps

Several months before starting to bottle the wine, its assembly must be decided, ensuring a profile and quality that characterize the trajectory of the wine from previous vintages. As you know, in Resalte we work almost 90 hectares of Tempranillo spread over some 80 different plots, belonging to 15 different towns, such as Torre de Peñafiel.

The plots are grouped by soil, characteristics or viticulturist, but some of them, the best ones, are made separately. This leads us to the fact that at the end of the aging process, we find many wines with different characteristics and the final wine must have the best characteristics of each one.

embotellado vino

Parallel to the assembly, we carry out a cork testing that we are going to use to check that they are of the highest quality. We also make sure that the wine has all the necessary physical and chemical conditions so that it can age in the bottle for many years. This includes an analysis of many determinations so as not to have to change the natural balance and harmony that the wine has acquired during its aging in barrels.

Care and studies before bottling the wine

One of those determinations is the PCR done before bottling to find out the wine status. Thanks to our racking system and application of natural cold to the barrel room during the coldest months of winter, our wines are always very clean and we do not need (nor do we want) to filter them.

llenadora de botellas de vino

 

When everything is ready for bottling, a day is dedicated to checking, cleaning and greasing the bottling machine, even carrying out microbiological cultures to ensure that the cleaning protocol has been carried out correctly.

Wine bottling: The Day

On bottling day, the temperature of the wine is checked, it should be around 15 degrees. Before filling the bottle, it is rinsed inside with water that has been deodorized and filtered with a system designed by ourselves and is subsequently filled with nitrogen. Thus, the wine inside the bottle will come into contact with a gas that will not modify its properties, and not with oxygen that could oxidize it.

With the first filled bottles, we analyze whether the level that the bottle should have according to the format is correct. It is checked that the corker is correctly placing the cork, so that the subsequent evolution of the wine in the bottle is optimal. It is also checked that the vacuum is being done correctly, that is, when the cork is placed, the space between the wine and the cork has neither pressure (we would be injecting air into the wine and it could oxidize) nor depression (we would be favoring the air intake from outside).

embotelladora vino

 

Previous to the vacuum, we fill the space with nitrogen, which is an inert gas that protects the wine, ensuring that when we have 0 pressure, the gas that remains is nitrogen and will not influence the wine.

The bottles that have been filled are accumulated in cages about 500 bottles each, and are kept standing for at least 48 hours, giving time for the cork to recover. This means that the cork, having to be compressed to place it in the neck of the bottle, must be given time so that, due to its elasticity, it recovers its original shape and the evolution in the bottle begins.

After this time, the cage is laid down and stored in the bottle rack, until its time to go to market. At the time of sale, it is when the labels are printed and put on the bottles, not before. The reason is that we export to more than 30 different countries, and many of them have special legislations, regarding specific legal information that must be included on each back label.

Wine bottles sizes

Our wines are bottled in different formats. Each size of wine bottle receives a different name based on its measurements:

  • 750 ml: standard format 
  • 1500 ml: magnum
  • 3000 ml: double magnum or Jeroboam
  • 6000 ml: Mathusalem

Although initially it is the same wine, the relation between the size of the bottle and the natural cork stopper will affect its evolution and determine the rate of change and refinement. The larger formats or types evolve slower, because the transit of oxygen through the cork with respect to the volume of wine is smaller. Therefore, they are highly valued in the market.

 

Enrique Andrades 

Technical Director at Bodegas Resalte

Must-see movies for wine lovers

In the cinema, special places are often used to frame the story that is being told. For this reason, it is usual to develop plots of love between vineyards, with the unique landscape that the vines provide in any of the phenological stages throughout the year. Taking profit of the recent Oscar ceremony, what better time to have a good time among California vineyards or see how the harvest in other places and times, we present some of the essential films that you can see on some of the main platforms.

“Sideways”, a walk through California vineyards

A wine film that we cannot miss is Sideways. Winner of several awards, including the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, thanks to this film we can enter the vineyards of California.

Without spoiling the movie, we can tell you that it is the story of two friends, Miles and Jack Cole, who decide to tour the California wine country as a bachelor party. During the 123 minutes that it lasts, we will be able to see some brushstrokes on how to taste a wine or the different types of grapes.

Dry Law in “This earth is mine”

If you prefer the classic wine movies,” This earth is mine” directed by Henry King in 1959 offers us a good perspective of the vineyards of California. The film is based on the novel The Cup and the Sword and it helps us to get an idea of ​​what the years of the Prohibition in the United States.

The French vineyards in the film “A good year”

Another film with wine that we find within the world of cinema, and whose plot runs through vineyards, is “ A good year”. The film was released in 2006 and was directed by Ridley Scott. In its plot, we can see Russell Crowe playing the role of a high-flying executive, who has received a curious inheritance in France. It is a vineyard and winery that he wants to sell, but thanks to it he ends up finding love and becoming fascinated with the wine of Provence.

Quite a romantic comedy that allows us to enjoy the vineyards of the southeastern region of France.

“Back to Burgundy”

If you have read the phrase “Love is like wine, it needs time”, but you did not know where it came from, in the 2017 French film “Back to Burgundy” you will be able to understand this and other phrases that have wine as the protagonist. In a walk through the vineyards of Burgundy, this film focuses its plot on the union between brothers that the vineyards that saw them grow.

“French Kiss”, a film set in the French countryside

Also shot in French vineyards is the 1995 film French Kiss. In this short film, we will discover the love story between the owner of some French vineyards and an American woman. These characters are played by Kevin Kline and Meg Ryan.

“The vineyard”, a crime among vines

With a much darker plot than the previous film, “The Vineyard” by director Esteban Schroeder was released in 2000. This story, based on real events, tells us about the investigation of a journalist from Montevideo who discovers that the murder of a young man in a vineyard has a much more complex story behind it.

“A walk in the clouds”

Finally, although there are many cinema and wine options that we can find, we recommend the 1995 film “A walk in the clouds” directed by Alfonso Arau. Keanu Reeves and Aitana Sánchez Gijón play a couple who visit her family, owners of a vineyard. During the 102 minutes that it lasts, we will live a whole romantic drama that takes place between vineyards. In addition, we will be able to witness the harvest, the elaboration of the wine and the drama of the arrival of a plague in the vineyards.

Wine documentaries

If we are true lovers of oenology and want to see stories based on real events about wine, on Netflix, HBO and other platforms we have documentaries about vineyards and the world of viticulture. We recommend you watch Mondovino, a documentary by Jonathan Nossiter. Although it was released in 2004, it still serves as a reference to see the different methods and ways of making wine in different parts of the world.

On Netflix, we can find Sour Grapes, the story of the most famous swindler in the world of wine. Specifically, the story focuses on one of the biggest scandals around luxury and author wines, at the hands of Rudy Kurniawan who infiltrated the richest circle of Hollywood in the early 2000s, thanks to his taste memory and his ability to recognize wines in blind tastings.

In addition, we can enjoy short films focused on the viticulture of our country, learning more about viticulture, respectful pruning and caring for the vines.

Phrases about wine in the movies

Without a doubt, wine has served as inspiration for many directors, shaping great stories in cinema. In fact, the Italian film director Federico Fellini said the following:

“A good wine is like a good film: it lasts an instant and leaves a taste of glory in your mouth; it is new in each sip and, as with movies, it is born and reborn in each taster.”

And it is not the only reference that actors, actresses or artists have made about this wonderful drink. Sophia Loren said the following:

“Perfume, like silk, wine, and flowers, is one of life’s necessary luxuries. Its aroma is like a good wine, which needs to be oxygenated before reaching the point of perfection.”

Joan Collins also refers to wine with her phrase:“Age is just a number. It is totally irrelevant unless of course you are a bottle of wine.”

The phrases about wine in the cinema are not unique. Also in series like Game of Thrones, Tyron Lannister makes reference to wine. As you can see, no one can resist its charms. Now that you know some of the films about wine that you can watch, we recommend you do it with a glass of wine and good company. Resalte Vendimia Seleccionada, Resalte Origen and the rest of Resalte wines will be the best complement for your moment of cinema and wine.

Ribera del Duero DO

Surely more than once you have heard or read some news in which the Ribera del Duero Regulatory Council is mentioned, and it is likely that you have wondered what the function of this entity is. Well, in this article we are going to tell you what it is for, its history and some curiosity about the Regulatory Council.

What is the purpose of the D.O. Ribera del Duero?

First of all, the Regulatory Council endorses the authenticity of DO Ribera del Duero wines with its hallmark. This way, consumers can be sure that each of the bottles bearing a numbered back label has passed all the controls set by the Denomination of Origin.

etiqueta ribera del duero

These controls begin in the field, monitoring the maximum permitted production, which in the case of DO Ribera del Duero red wines must not exceed 7,000 kg of grapes per hectare. From there, at the moment of production, the authorized grape varieties are monitored and that the wines comply with the qualification process stipulated by the Regulatory Council.

red wine DO Ribera del Duero

Copyright CRDO Ribera del Duero

Another of its most important tasks is the intense promotional activity it carries out, helping DO Ribera del Duero wineries to make themselves known, not only in our country, but also internationally. In addition to this, they collaborate in research with public and private entities for the qualitative improvement of the wines and vineyards in this area.

Ribera del Duero Regulatory Counsil: the origin

The first reference to a wine-producing society in these lands is found in the findings of the Vaccea culture, dating from the 6th century BC. located in the ancient city of Pintia (now Padilla de Duero, next to Peñafiel). On the other hand, in Baños de Valdearados (Burgos), there is a Roman mosaic of 66 square meters, which is considered to be the largest piece with allegories of the god Bacchus on the Peninsula. This representation of the god of wine is from the end of the 5th century AD. In other words, wine has been made in this area for more than 2,000 years.

wines DO Ribera del Duero

Copyright CRDO Ribera del Duero

Our Denomination of Origin arose thanks to the initiative of a group of viticulturists and winemakers whose objective was to promote the vineyards and the quality of the wine in the region. The Regulatory Council of the Ribera del Duero Denomination of Origin collects in its books the first Act of July 23, 1980, although at that time the nature of the body was still provisional. It was not until two years later, in July 1982, that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food granted the Denomination of Origin and approved its first DO Ribera del Duero Regulation.

Vendimia Resalte

DO Ribera del Duero in numbers

  • More than 300 wineries and 2,300 brands
  • Tempranillo grape as main variety 24,157 hectares of vineyard
  • 7,900 winegrowers
  • 4380 kilos on average per hectare in the last 10 years
  • 80% of the harvest is done manually
  • 9% of the vineyards are over 80 years old and almost a quarter are over 50 years old. Signature wines and Premium wines are born from these vineyards, which take advantage of the greater concentration and aromas provided by these oldest vineyards.

Which provinces are part of Ribera del Duero?

The DO Ribera del Duero map extends over four provinces of Castilla y León: Soria, Burgos, Valladolid and Segovia, along 110 km, covering a total of 118 localities. The headquarters of the Ribera del Duero Regulatory Council is located in the town of Roa, in a modern building that was inaugurated in 2011.

 

All the wines produced by Bodegas Resalte are protected under the Ribera del Duero D.O, which this year 2022 celebrates 40 years since its creation. Since then, new cultivation practices, the introduction of modern production technology and strict control systems have made the wine from this area synonymous with quality.

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2021 harvest at Resalte vineyards

The 2021 grape harvest was close to perfection. Mythical vintages are those in which the cycle is so long that they are on the verge of disaster. It seems that they are not going to reach that ideal point of maturity but, day by day, they advance little by little, slowly and in the end, as in the denouement of an exciting film, they manage to reach that point of harmony and balance that nature rarely gives us.

Beginning of the year in the vineyard.

The year started off well as ‘a year os now, a year of plenty‘, as the saying goes. This meant that the soil reserves were gradually replenished, steadily over several days.

vendimia 2021

The spring was dry and cool, but thanks to the snow reserves, the vines started up but somewhat late, with the strength to form good-sized shoots and keep fungal diseases at low levels. A cool May, with some frost, lowered yields in some areas, such as Fuentenebro and some other valleys.

Months before harvesting

The summer was generally cool, except for two weeks of intense heat in mid-August. Episodes of water stress in the vineyard were practically non-existent, which was already a good indicator of being able to keep the acidity at good levels for ageing wines in an ideal way.

recogida uva

The vine shoots were very well budded (change of colour from green to brown as the vines turn into wood), perhaps a little late due to a summer that was not very intense.

September began with a certain delay in the end of veraison, which caused us a lot of tension and doubts about how to make the wines if we did not reach the desired levels of maturity. The rain came before the start of the harvest, which had a very positive effect on the final part of the ripening process.

The vineyard regained freshness, reactivated and made progress, especially in terms of polyphenol maturity. The second part of September was also marked by cold nights and moderately warm days, which meant that the musts were not too high in alcohol and had good acidity and ripe tannins.

Harvest time in Ribera del Duero

The harvest is based on studying and analysing each vineyard to choose the ideal moment when the fruit offers its full potential in terms of aromas and flavour. Due to the spectacular mosaic of small plots we work with, some 90 of them spread over 15 different villages, you can get an idea of the intensity of the moment. The harvest is really a time of maximum tension but of great professional enjoyment.

época de vendimia

At Bodegas Resalte, after countless analyses of the grape must and berry skins, as well as a lot of walking around the vineyards, we decided to start harvesting the grapes on 26 September. But only, selecting some plots of vineyards with very little load and gradually moving on to the rest of the almost 90 plots we have this year.

In general, the 2021 vintage has been very healthy, with excellent acidity and polyphenolic quality. October, which has been the month with the most days of harvesting, has had mild days and very cold nights, ideal for finishing off a ripeness that we have not enjoyed for years.

ELABORATION

The grapes harvested in boxes are cooled in cold storage chambers and then sorted and processed cold, so that the grapes suffer less and the primary aromas are preserved.
After vatting we were able to verify the high quality of the vintage, with very coloured, with fragrant aromas. This has allowed us to make wines with less maceration time, preserving the acidity and obtaining wines with great volume, a lot of structure but fresh, with great length.
A vintage that promises great wines, like the ones we made in 2010, 2011 and 2015, when international critics ranked us as one of the best wines in the world.

Foto RESALTE 2016 29

Enrique Andrades

Technical director at Bodegas Resalte.

Concrete tanks for our wine

Resalte is strongly committed with the improvement and development of the quality of our wines, trying to be at the avantgarde. Throughout the last years, the elaboration of different plots in open barrels has been investigated and that has led us to bring concrete tanks to the winery.

Why using concrete tanks for the wine?

Concrete has been used for the wine elaboration during centuries (some rests were found in Roman villas) but it became less and less common some decades ago because the concrete tanks by that time were not safe for the alimentary and wine industry, making the stainless steel the main option for wineries.

depósitos inox

Nowadays, concrete has achieved a high level of development to be safely used in the wine industry and its benefits are widely known and specifically researched. Different sizes and shapes are available: there are with egg shape, mainly used for white wine or squared tanks like ours, which are used during the production of our red wines to increase the surface contact between the wine and the yeast hat.

Advantages of the use of concrete tanks

Concrete has several advantages versus stainless steel, which is more common in wineries. As concrete is a material with porosity, wines have an oxygen interchange with the exterior and that results in a slow evolution which helps to obtain smoother and fine tannins. Therefore, wines with a great harmony, both on the nose and on the palate, are achieved, with balance, long finish and a fruitier profile. These factors will increase the ageing potential but keeping the personality and fruity character of the grape variety. On the other hand, stainless steel is impervious to oxygen. Concrete tanks does not add aromas to the wine, it is neutral. Thus, fruity aromas and flavors are preserved.

depósitos hormigón

The thermal conductivity of concrete is very high. Therefore, it is a material which needs less energy consumption to control and keep the required temperature inside the tank. Indeed, the own heat resulted from the fermentation warms the concrete tank without any heat addition.

depósitos para vino

Stainless steel is the opposite. It needs a permanent thermal control to keep the temperature inside the tank in the required ranges. As concrete tanks does not generate electrostatic charge, the natural haze resulted from the wine production will precipitate to the bottom of the tank, making a natural clarification.

The wine tanks of Resalte

In our new concrete tanks, 6,000kg of grapes will be produced and they have been tailored designed following our know-how and with the intention of improving the characteristics of our vineyards. These concrete tanks will be used to elaborate our oldest estates which are destinated to make the high-end wines of Resalte.

cuba para vino

Furthermore, we also want to use these tanks as the final step in the coupage of Resalte Expresión and Gran Resalte. This way, after finishing the ageing in oak barrels, these wines will spend a couple of months in concrete tanks in order to round them and leave some time to the coupage to achieve a perfect integration. As a consequence, the ageing potential is enhanced and wines achieve a higher step in complexity and elegance.

Our journey to find and obtain the best from our vineyards will never finish. This year, we are elaborating with 3 different materials: stainless steel, oak and concrete. We will continuously re-evaluate the result to produce wines with different characters and with the maximum respect to the grape variety and terroir.

I hope you will enjoy these wines as much as we enjoy producing them.

Enrique Andrades
Winemaker at Bodegas Resalte

Veraison, blooming and fruit setting: phenological stages of the vine

The vineyard does not leave a second of respite and each work is important in the manner and in the execution time. A task well done, but at the wrong time is no longer so good, affecting the phenological stages of the vine. For this reason, reading the weather in vineyard work is once again essential.

What is the life cycle of a vine?

For the wines to reach our glass, a vegetative cycle of the vine takes place that is repeated annually. The different vegetative periods are:

  • Sprouting: Flowering of the vine at the end of April.
  • Flowering: This event takes place around June 20th.
  • Fruit set: Transformation into fruit, it happens 10-12 days later.
  • Veraison: During the summer, the grape changes color until it reaches its hue. It begins in the middle of August and finishes at the beginning of September. Growth stops and the vineyard concentrates on ripening the grape.
  • Ripening: Throughout September. When we conduct the analytics. Sugar increases.
  • Harvest: The vegetative period ends with the collection of the grapes and the subsequent fall of the leaves.

Vegetative cycle in the Ribera del Duero

This year, we have had a very cold start, and the January snows gave us a very important contribution to the water reserves. The spring has been good in rains, although a little late. They have just arrived when the vegetative cycle was already underway with the grape flower, and they have had a high risk of Mildew (a disease caused by fungi) that today has been fully controlled.

Unfortunately, in the Ribera del Duero we have suffered several hail storms that have affected at least 10% of the vineyards of the entire D.O. Luckily, in our 80 hectares of vineyards, the affected areas have been few and we have acted quickly with foliar fertilizers that help the plant to heal the wounds and to continue its growth rate with some normality.

Blooming in the Ribera del Duero

Both the flowering and the setting of the vine have been very good and it is already expected that the vintage in some younger plots will have to adjust the yields. In the phenological state of the vineyards, well-formed and long clusters are already visible. With this information, we predict that the bunches do not compact and their berries remain loose, which ensures good health and correct ripening.

We are currently finishing the stripping works, which consists of eliminating the first 3 axial shoots of the rods that bring the production. This work of caring for the parts of the vine, favors aeration, a factor of vital importance in the health and in the exhibition of the clusters. The health and good display of the bunches result in a first class raw material, which makes it possible to make the most emblematic and award-winning wines of Resalte.

Combined with different altitudes, types of soil and solar orientation, it allows us an incredible complexity and nuances in the wines, virtues that have allowed us to be considered one of the best Ribera del Duero wines and the world.

cuidados de la vid

At this time, the berries of the cluster begin to fatten and by eliminating those axial shoots we are redirecting the energy, via photosynthesis, from the plant towards the clusters and not towards the growth of those shoots that will prevent proper development of the cluster.

It is said that a good nude is worth more than a phytosanitary treatment in the care of the vine and we cannot agree more. In Resalte, following our policy of minimal intervention, we prefer to direct our work towards good viticulture practices and minimize the number of treatments, although these are in most cases of an ecological nature such as the application of elemental sulfur that can be accompanied of a little copper if we see that the humidity can be high.

Vegetative period

Until veraison, the bunch remains green and with photosynthetic capacity. In mid-August, its color turns to the purple typical of red grapes. At that moment the grape veraison begins and the plant must prepare to stop growing and that all its effort is focused on the development and maturity of the berries.

estados fenologicos

Although it is still early days, we are very optimistic about this harvest. The vegetative cycle of the vine continues at a good pace and the water reserves seem good. This will ensure that, even if the temperatures rise, the plants will not enter into excessive water stress and can develop small berries, with good acidity and a high concentration. Great virtues so that, once the withering of  the vine, the high quality wines that you all expect from us can be made.

 

Enrique Andrades

Technical Director.