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When Jean-François Hébrard left Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley, it was for sandy soils in Spain – and vines planted in 1900. The Quinta de la Quietud lies at 700 metres south of the Duero, where phylloxera-free sandy soils allow bush vines more than 100 years old. Horses plough between the gobelet vines, native yeasts ferment without added sulphur – cult wines born of absolute silence.
Grape variety: Tempranillo
In all wines: 90 Wines
More about Quinta de la Quietud
The Frenchman who left Bordeaux for bush vines
Jean-François Hébrard had achieved everything a French oenologist can achieve: training in Bordeaux, work at Château Haut-Brion and Château Cheval Blanc, then successful consulting in the Rhône Valley for leading 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 mad enough to make him give up his homeland. In 2001 Spanish investors led by the former FC Barcelona and Real Valladolid footballer Eusebio Sacristán took over the estate, and Hébrard stayed on as the soul of the project. Today he also advises the Galician estate Attis on its 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 across Europe all vines had to be grafted onto American rootstocks, the original bush vines of 1900–1920 still grow here on their own roots. The estate farms 22 hectares at 700 metres above sea level, 97% of it Tempranillo – called Tinta de Toro here – plus 3% white varieties such as Malvasia and Albillo. The extreme continental climate swings between -11°C in winter and +37°C in summer, with only 350 mm of rainfall a year.
Horses instead of tractors, nature instead of chemistry
The estate has been organically certified since 2002, but has long worked biodynamically. Horses plough between the old gobelet vines, which have to manage without irrigation. Yields stay extremely low at 20–40 hl/ha. In the cellar Hébrard relies on spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts and dispenses entirely with added sulphur. 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, planted in the 1900s.
Cult wines born of silence
“Quietud” means silence – and it truly reigns in this remote site two kilometres south of the Duero. This calm is reflected in wines that balance concentration and elegance perfectly. Besides La Mula, 70,000 bottles of various cuvées are produced each year: the Quinta Quietud Reserva 2020 shows the elegant side of the terroir, while Corral de Campanas 2022 offers brilliant value for money. As a rarity, Hébrard vinifies the La Dulce Quietud from white Malvasia, a sweet wine that underlines the versatility of this extraordinary terroir.