Verdejo, Oro de Castilla

Bodega Hermanos del Villar is one of Spain’s most influential and forward thinking wine groups, with vineyards in both Ribero del Duero and Rueda. Founded in 1955 by Pablo del Villar Escudero in the then very rural Rueda region, Pablo grew mainly cereal on the land for many years, planting his first Verdejo vines in 1989 in 4 of his best vineyard sites. Sauvignon Blanc was added in 1990, and red Tempranillo in 1992. From the outset, the philosophy of Hermanos del Villar has been to match particular varieties and clones to specific soil types, with the sand and clay of Rueda ideally suited (as Pablo found) to Verdejo. This was recognized by his first award in 1994 for his Verdejo.

Hermanos grew consistently, acquiring ancient lagares in 1997 which were renovated to increase production volume – at the same time more plantings of Verdejo were added. More winery expansion occurred between 2000 and 2015. Currently there are 150Ha of Verdejo and around 15Ha of Sauvignon in Rueda. 100 Ha of Tempranillo are planted across 7 different sites in Ribero. Between both DO’s, around 700,000 bottles are produced annually, with around 60% exported.

The guiding philosophy at Hermanos, now under the guidance of 3rd generation Pablo del Villar, is to maintain viticultural integrity at all costs, and use modern techniques to aid the winemaker in expressing the best varietal character that is possible. Grapes are harvested at night to aid freshness and minimize oxidation, pellicular cryomaceration, wild yeast, skin contact and lees battonage, computer controlled cool ferments are all utilized – all with the aim to minimize oxidation and increase extraction of natural flavours and freshness.

The flagship is their range of Verdejo dry white wines – all 100% Verdejo grape, small yield and machine harvested at night. – they also make 2 red Ribero del Duero wines using 100% Tempranillo– the Gaudeamus which is a modern, fruit-focused and structured Ribero red, loaded with black fruits, spice and subtle tannins. The flagship red is the Oro de Castilla Crianza, a rich, heady and powerful Ribero red which uses more oak and offers a more muscular and yet elegant mouthfeel and finish.