In the heart of the appellation D.O. Ribera del Duero is located Bodegas Maeste, a winemaking project steeped in honesty, where the weight of our own family history and the commitment and respect for the environment encourages us to make authentic and personal wines, able to communicate the love for this land and to be part of your own personal story.
The very basis of the project and the philosophy of our wines “Alma del Vivar” and “Alma del Moral” is to sustainably work in accordance with the terroir and the traditional history of Ribera del Duero, with the aim of making all wine and food lovers enjoy. The “Alma” of our wines are the different memories woven together of many lived experiences, which together with the Ribera del Duero wine culture and a selected raw material result in unique wines. Wines with “Alma”.
Maeste is the dream come true of Miguel Peña owner of the winery, based on 3 fundamental pillars: his personal roots with this land; his passion for wines and their history; and his knowledge of other cultures gained traveling around the world; which has led him, together with the professional experience of having managed different wineries, to guarantee a solid project as an independent producer.
Collaboration with various professionals and friends has been key to make this dream come true, sharing the secrets of this land with viticulturists, winemakers, oenologists, distributors, critics and all those essential people in the world of wine who are already part of the “Alma” of Bodegas Maeste wines.
VINEYARDS AND WINES
OUR VINEYARDS: THE LAND THAT DEFINES US
The privileged location and the care of our vineyards are the cornerstone of the winery and the foundation of the production of our wines. The choice of each plot of land has been carefully studied by the winery’s technical office and the most experienced winegrowers with whom we shared our time, the true wise men of Ribera del Duero, giving Bodegas Maeste’s wines a clear sign of unique identity. The manager of the vineyard is Juan Manuel Martinez, an experienced viticulturist who has spent his entire life working the gorgeous and at the same time harsh lands of Ribera del Duero.
Our philosophy is to work an ecological and sustainable viticulture, environmentally friendly and respectful with the terroir and our history; in a traditional manner, dry land, low production and in about 12 kg small boxes of manual harvest. We always look for the highest quality limited production, without burdening the plant, controlling its production by expert hands pruning and minimal intervention agricultural practices, which allows us to harvest the highest quality selected grapes year after year.
Most of our micro vineyard plots of land are located a few meters from the Duero River, between Roa and San Martín de Rubiales in the province of Burgos. These micro plots of land have a calcareous clay-sandy soil with a steep slope and a 30% gradient that enables the continuous sedimentation of the mountain, enriching the soil, preventing the water from accumulating, with a special and unique micro-climate provided by the vicinity of the river, and almost 900 meters above sea level, which results in grapes with a lot of potential to later turn into great wines characterized by black fruit bouquets and nuances.
Also, in the privileged town of Pedrosa del Duero, famous for the quality of its grapes, we have an ancient micro plot of land, of about 70 years old, at an altitude of about 800 meters. It is a sustainable bush-trained vine which allows us to obtain a top-quality grape to confer special and differential characteristics to the wines.
Another micro plot of land is located on one of the highest altitudes of Ribera del Duero, in the town of Honrubia de la Cuesta, a privileged location at almost 1,000 meters of altitude that confers unique characteristics to our vines thanks to their temperature differences and its reddish-brown soils, with a pebbles core on an ancient bedrock and a base of iron and magnesium that provides color and minerality to our wines.
Additionally, we work with two micro plots of land in the towns of Baños de Valdearados and Villalbilla de Gumiel, which with brown limestone soils, sandy loam and a limestone core, provide more red fruit and roundness to the final result.
THE WINES: PRODUCTIONS WITH “ALMA”
Our first wines are born with the philosophy of offering a modern and particular vision of the elaborations of Ribera del Duero following the Bordeaux model of first and second wine.
The methodology is to elaborate in the winery with as little intervention as possible: after a table selection of 8 hands as soon as the grapes are received, a long barreling is carried out with spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, daily pumping and decantation racking keeping the fine lees, little extraction and light pressing, to finish with an aging in the highest quality French and American oak woods, with medium grain and toasting. We do not use animal derivatives or allergenic products in the production process of our wines.
The main variety we use is Tempranillo, the queen grape of Ribera, also known in the region as “Tinta Fina” or “Tinta del País”, and in very small quantities other minority varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Albillo Real.
In charge of the technical office is Guillermo Llorente, an experienced winemaker who has worked in various wineries and projects, with a unique and sincere way of working, knowing how to perfectly project the nuances and aromas of the riverside terroir into the wines.
All this is aligned with a chosen and selected raw material, together with the personal and differentiated touches with which Bodegas Maeste characterizes each of its products, resulting in unique wines, Wines with “Alma”.
WINES WITH "ALMA"
Alma del Vivar 2020
“Since we were children, the El Vivar family estate was our place of contact with the countryside, with the towns and their underground wineries, where we lost ourselves on its slopes and Castilian plateaus, sometimes infinite, under the heat of summer. Alma del Vivar is a tribute to those memories, which linked in one way or another have led us to love .”
INFORMATION
Winery: Bodegas Maeste
Designation of Origin: D.O.P. Ribera del Duero
Owner: Miguel Peña
Winemaker: Guillermo Llorente
Viticulturist: Juan Manuel Martínez
Type of Wine: Red wine
Vintage: 2020
Varieties: Tempranillo (97%) y Merlot (3%)
Aging: 6 months in oak barrels, French (95%) and American (5%)
VITICULTURE
Vineyards: Alma del Vivar has been made with different micro-plots of vineyards aged between 25 and 50 years on the banks of the Duero River, mainly in the Rodero and Valdepila areas, between the terms of San Martín de Rubiales and Roa, Burgos.
Soils: A mixture of limestones, clays, sands, calcareous stones and minerals that contributes to the sedimentation of the mountain, highlighting the mica.
Altitude: 850 m, better ventilation and a vegetative advance due to its strong sunlight and less natural vegetation that will allow us to obtain an optimal grape regardless of the year.
Inclination: Average slope of 30%, which facilitates the runoff of the rains, avoiding waterlogging and humidity in the vineyards.
Orientation: South with alignment of vineyards North - South, which allows to balance the strong insolation of the summer days and at the same time receive abundant light during most of the day throughout the year.
Natural: We work with a philosophy and agricultural practices of minimal intervention and traditional viticulture, multiplying the tasks at hand looking for the best balance of the plant.
Vintage climate: Continental, cold and long winter, short and hot summer, with low rainfall of around 450 liters / square meter and 2,200-2,800 hours of sunshine per year.
WINEMAKING
Harvest: Manual in small boxes of 12 kg, during the days of September 30 and October 1. Selection in the vineyard and in the winery with a selection table with 8 hands.
Yeasts: Autochthonous and spontaneous fermentation.
Fermentation: Long storage of 23 days from October 1 to 23.
Extraction: Daily punch down and decanting transfers keeping the thin lees.
Aging: 6 months in oak barrels, French (95%) and American (5%), toasted and medium grain, Bordeaux type 225 L (88%) and 400 L (12%), maintaining a balance between news (7%), used first year (18%) and second year (75%).
Bottles: 5,426 Bordeaux bottles, 60 Magnum and 5 Double Magnum.
Analytics: 14% abv. Ph 3.75
TASTING NOTES
A light wine, but of great intensity and that brings red fruit to the nose. On the palate it is fresh, with a pleasant mid palate, but with the consistency of wood, which also offers hints of spices and coffee, perfectly integrated into the wine. It is perfect for red meats, veal, stews, chicken, risotto, etc.
DOWNLOAD TASTING NOTE
Alma del Moral2020
«In the highest part of the town of Valdeande, next to the church of San Pedro, remains majestic a great centennial tree full of its red fruits, the Moral, from where you can see the lands of the Ribera del Duero, lands of vineyards, cereals and underground wineries that in the harvest months are filled with workers who for centuries have collected the fruits of the vineyard. This wine is born under this tree, a tribute to the memories of visiting this family land and entertaining with our mother picking up those blackberries that stained the hands red and turned the lips purple, to now turn it into a wine with Soul.»
INFORMATION
Winery: Bodegas Maeste
Designation of Origin: D.O.P. Ribera del Duero
Owner: Miguel Peña
Winemaker: Guillermo Llorente y Miguel Peña
Viticulturist: Juan Manuel Martínez
Type of Wine: Red wine
Vintage: 2020
Varieties: Tempranillo (97%) y Merlot (3%)
Aging: 14 months in French (75%) and American (25%) oak barrels
VITICULTURE
Vineyards: Alma del Moral has been made with different micro-plots of vineyards, highlighting a small old vineyard of about 60 years in Pedrosa de Duero, and the rest of about 30 years in the heart of the Ribera, mainly in the Rodero and Valdepila areas between the terms of San Martín de Rubiales and Peñafiel on the banks of the Duero river; and with small percentages of grapes from the Camino de las Colmenas area in Baños de Valdearados and the Las braguillas area in Honrubia de la Cuesta.
Soils: Mostly influenced by the floods of the Duero River, they form a mixture of limestone, clay, sand, calcareous stones and minerals that also contribute to the sedimentation of the mountain as quartzite.
Altitude: Average of 900 m, better ventilation and a vegetative advance due to its strong sunlight and less natural vegetation that will allow us to obtain an optimal grape regardless of the year.
Slope: In the main vineyard average slope of 30%, which facilitates the runoff of the rains, avoiding waterlogging and humidity in the vineyards.
Orientation: On most microplots South with alignment of vineyards North - South, which allows to balance the strong insolation of the summer days and at the same time receive abundant light during most of the day throughout the year.
Natural: We work with a philosophy and agricultural practices of minimal intervention and traditional viticulture, multiplying the tasks by hand in search of the best balance of the plant.
Vintage climate: Continental in character, cold and long winter, short and hot summer, with a low rainfall of around 450 liters/square meter and 2,200-2,800 hours of sunshine per year.
WINEMAKING
Harvest: Manual in small boxes of 12 kgs, during September 30 and
October 1. Selection in the vineyard and in the winery with an 8-hand selection table.
Yeasts: Autochthonous and spontaneous fermentation.
Fermentation: Long vatting of 23 days from October 1st to October 23rd.
Extraction: Weekly pumping and rackings keeping the thin lees.
Aging: 14 months in 225 L Bordeaux barrels of French (75%) and American (25%) toasted and fine grain oak, maintaining a balance between new (25%) and used first year (75%).
Bottles: 3,319 Bordeaux bottles and 22 Magnums.
Analytics: 14 % Alc. Vol. Ph 3,75
TASTING NOTES
At sight it is a wine with a deep upper layer, with an intense cherry red color and bluish-purple reflections. On the nose, aromas of black and red fruits stand out, such as mulberries, blackberries and cherries, giving way to very elegant and balanced subtle toasted notes, along with touches of cedar and spices such as cloves and pepper. On the palate it is fresh, long-lasting, with an elegant complexity of good acidity and tannins, with an aftertaste of fruit and hints of French and American oak. A wine to enjoy without complexes and harmonize it with any quality gastronomic dish.
DOWNLOAD TASTING NOTEAlma del Moral 2020
“In the highest part of the town of Valdeande, next to the church of San Pedro, remains majestic a great centennial tree full of its red fruits, the Moral, from where you can see the lands of the Ribera del Duero, lands of vineyards, cereals and underground wineries that in the harvest months are filled with workers who for centuries have collected the fruits of the vineyard. This wine is born under this tree, a tribute to the memories of visiting this family land and entertaining with our mother picking up those blackberries that stained the hands red and turned the lips purple, to now turn it into a wine with Soul”
INFORMATION
Winery
: Bodegas Maeste.
Owner
: Miguel Peña.
Viticulturist:
Juan Manuel Martínez.
Vintage
: 2020.
Designation of Origin
: D.O.P. Ribera del Duero.
Winemaker
: Guillermo Llorente.
Type of Wine
: Red Wine.
Varieties:
Tempranillo (97%) Merlot (3%).
SOMOS RIBERA SOMOS HISTORIA
Ribera del Duero es una tierra singular. Una tierra asociada al vino desde hace más de 2.000 años. Una tradición y cultura propia que lo impregna y llena todo. Historia, pero también juventud, vitalidad renovada y proyectos nuevos que surgen de ese compromiso por el respeto de ese trabajo. De ahí surge Bodegas Maeste.
Nace en Ribera del Duero, porque no podía nacer en otro sitio. Nace para crear un vínculo, un nexo a modo de puerta a través de la historia. A través de nuestras raíces. A través de los viñedos de los que, desde hace siglos, heredamos la tradición vitivinícola que une a toda una región.
Una tierra con más de 115 kilómetros de extensión, única en muchos aspectos, y desde su corazón, Aranda del Duero, es donde nace Bodegas Maeste, un proyecto paradigmático de Ribera del Duero con vinos cargados de honestidad, de potencia y sabor propios de su zona.