Felix Callejo

Pétrus, Mendoza, Napa - and back to Sotillo

The story sounds like a winemaker's dream: in 1999, José Félix Callejo completed an internship at Château Pétrus in Pomerol, the most legendary Merlot vineyard in the world. A year later, he was standing among the Cabernet vines at Miguel Torres in Chile. His sister Noelia travelled to Argentina to Viña Cobos and twice to the Napa Valley to Araujo Estate. Both returned to Sotillo de la Ribera, the village of their childhood, where their father Félix had founded the winery with his wife Pilar in 1989. Back then, the parents packed bottles of wine in their suitcases and travelled tirelessly through Europe to promote their wines. Today Bodegas Félix Callejo one of the most prestigious houses in the Tempranillo-world.

The Páramo: where limestone touches the sky

The vineyards are spread over 27 plots along the hills of Sotillo de la Ribera, on the northern edge of the Duero Valley. On the Páramos, the barren plateaus at 930 metres above sea level, bare Limestone to the surface. The vines do not have to root deeply here - there are plenty of minerals. Further down in the valley, pebbly soils from old river courses alternate with sandy zones near the pine forests and heavy clay soils. This diversity explains why every bottle from Sotillo has its own character. The extreme Temperature differences between day and night - often more than 20 degrees - preserve the Tinto Fino's distinctive acidity, which gives the wines their lively backbone. Similarly characterising altitudes can be found in Valdemonja's in neighbouring Olivares de Duero.

Elegance instead of power: The new generation

Noelia Callejo puts it clearly: terroir and precision instead of oak and the status quo. The Callejos have been certified organic since 2000. Spontaneous fermentation with the vineyard's own yeasts is standard, as is the sowing of greenery between the rows of vines, which naturally limits the yield. Harvesting begins earlier than with many of our neighbours - not for the sake of an early harvest, but because of the crisper fruit, tighter tension and more moderate alcohol. The result is wines that pulsate with freshness even after years in the cellar. The Flores de Callejo demonstrates this philosophy in the entry-level segment: juicy, clearly contoured, with the typical flavour of Tinto Fino. The Majuelos de Callejo comes from old vines in individual vineyards and brings dark fruit, fine roasted flavours and a silky texture.

Viña Pilar and the white Albillo Mayor

The family is not only successful with red wine. The Albillo Mayor, an autochthonous white variety of the region, can be found both in the Parajes de Callejo - where it adds minerality and stability to the Tinto Fino - as well as single-varietal in the El Lebrero. This white wine with maceration time combines chalky, stony flavours with a grippy texture that makes it an ideal accompaniment to food. The Viña Pilar Clarete in turn is reminiscent of Pilar Callejo, who laid the foundations for everything with her husband Félix. A clarete, fresh and direct, like the Castilian highlands themselves.