Vine Age: Vines planted in 1946

Soil: Clay calcareous

Vinification: Fermented with indigenous yeast in stainless steel

Aging: 30 months in one to three-year-old French and American oak barrels, 12 months in bottle

Viña Sastre’s premier vineyard is the Pago de Santa Cruz, one of the most famous Grand Cru vineyards in Ribera del Duero. With vineyards sitting at 840 meters elevation, this incredibly ageable wine is produced from old bush-trained tempranillo vines in excess of 75 years old, planted in deep calcareous soil. Sastre Gran Reserva is aged at least one year beyond the five required, being released with at least six years of age. This dedication to quality and a style of wine that is almost extinct is another defining characteristic of the exceptional vision of Jesús Sastre. An average of 500 cases are produced in only the best years, and it is one of the great wines of Spain for extended cellar aging.

Vintage – Luckily, rain didn’t affect Ribera del Duero in 2014 as much as other areas, like Rioja. 2014 was a cooler, fresher year overall, which produced powerful and elegant wines with exceptional acidity, pure fruit, and crunchy tannins. It could be likened to a combination of the elegance of 2010 with the power of 2011. Work in the vineyards was essential for canopy management and yield control. Sastre’s 2014 Gran Reserva is exceptionally well-balanced and harmonious with incredible aging potential.

Vinification – After a manual harvest, the wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for 30 months in one-to-three-year-old oak (65% French and 35% American) barrels ranging in size from 225L to 1000L. The wine is then held in bottle at the winery until deemed ready to release.