Quinta de la Quietud

The Frenchman who left Bordeaux for Buschreben

Jean-François Hébrard had achieved everything a French oenologist can achieve: Training in Bordeaux, work at Château Haut-Brion and Château Cheval Blanc, then successfully consulted in the Rhône Valley for top producers such as Janasse and Fortia in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In 1999, the French founders Didier Belondrade and Brigitte Lurton lured him to Toro - for a project that was crazy enough to make him give up his home. In 2001, Spanish investors led by the former Real Madrid- and Bayern Munich-footballer Eusebio Sacristán took over the winery, Hébrard remained as the soul of the project. Today, he also advises the Galician winery Attis for their Albariño-wines.

100-year-old vines thanks to sandy soils

What drew Hébrard to Toro was a geological wonder: the sandy soils with 55-85% sand content are naturally phylloxera-free. While all vines throughout Europe had to be grafted onto American rootstocks, the original vines grow here. Bush vines from 1900-1920 still on their own roots. The winery cultivates 22 hectares 700 metres above sea level, to 97% with Tempranillo - here Tinta de Toro as well as 3% white varieties such as Malvasia and Albillo. The extreme continental climate varies between -11°C in winter and +37°C in summer with only 350mm of rainfall per year.

Horses instead of tractors, nature instead of chemicals

Since 2002 the winery has been certified organic, but has been working biodynamically for a long time. Horses plough between the old Gobelet vines, which have to manage without irrigation. Yields remain extremely low at 20-40 hectolitres per hectare. In the cellar, Hébrard relies on spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts and no added sulphur at all. The cult wine La Mula de la Quietud 2020 matures for 30 months in 100% new French oak and comes exclusively from the oldest plots from the 1900s.

Cult wines from the silence

„Quietud“ means silence - and this is indeed the case in the remote location two kilometres south of the Duero. This tranquillity is reflected in wines that Concentration and Elegance perfectly balanced. In addition to La Mula, 70,000 bottles of various cuvées are produced each year: the Quinta Quietud Reserva 2019 shows the elegant side of the terroir, while Corral de Campanas 2021 brilliant Price-performance ratio offers. As a rarity, Hébrard uses white Malvasia to vinify the La Dulce Quietud, a sweet wine that emphasises the versatility of this exceptional terroir.