Finca Torremilanos

The Integrity Take

This is a true family winery in Spain. Pilar, the matriarch, leads Finca Torremilanos while her children cover all aspects of their vineyards, winemaking, sales and hotel/hospitality space. Riccardo is using the extensive vineyards and well outfitted winery to craft some of the freshest wines in Ribera del Duero with minimal intervention and a light touch of oak barrels, which are made on site by their master coopers. The wines from Torremilanos offer a real “sense of place” from their home in Aranda along the Duero River.

Second Oldest Wine Estate in Ribera del Duero (1903)
First Biodynamic Certified (Demeter) Winery in the Region (2015)
All barrels have been made at the on-site cooperage since 1988

The Story

The second oldest estate winery in Ribera del Duero, Finca Torremilanos, was established in 1903, seventy-nine years before the region gained its D.O. status. Located in Aranda de Duero, the estate is responsible for many of the oldest vines in the area, some planted near the founding of the estate over 100 years ago.

Pablo Peñalba López purchased the Torremilanos estate in 1975 along with his wife Pilar Pérez Albéniz who still manages the estate today. Along with reinvigorating their own property, the family was influential in the creation of the Ribera del Duero D.O. just seven years later. Pablo grew the estate from 60 hectares to 200 hectares and in 1988 established a cooperage on the property which has since produced every American and French oak barrel used at the winery.

In the early 2000s, Pablo and Pilar’s sons Ricardo and Vicente began taking a bigger role at the estate. Ricardo immediately began practicing more sustainable farming methods, starting with organic farming then evolving to full biodynamic principles. In 2015, Torremilanos became the first Demeter certified farm in Ribera del Duero.

The vineyards sit between 800 and 900m elevation and showcase multiple soil types, including limestone, sand, clay, and small stones (“Cantos”). The estate’s vines are mostly dedicated to Tempranillo, but Merlot, Cabernet, Tempranillo Blanco, Garnacha, Sauvignon Blanc and small amounts of Bobal, Monastrell, Viura, Albillo and Malvasia are planted too. Despite the hot and dry Continental climate, the vines are dry-farmed and all harvests are done by hand.

In the winery, only naturally occurring yeasts are utilized for fermentation in stainless steel tanks and some concrete vats. Most wines will age for six months to three years in barrels produced on-site. Sulphites are typically only used at bottling, if at all.