Naluar El Espaldón 2020 — Single-Vineyard Red Wine, Ribera del Duero

Rafael García y Raúl Tamayo is a small yet highly ambitious winery project founded in 2011 in Nava de Roa, in the heart of the Ribera del Duero Denomination of Origin. Its two creators, devoted viticulturists and winemakers, chose to work with family-owned vineyards to build an artisanal estate guided by a minimalist philosophy. From the very beginning, both partners took full hands-on responsibility for every task in the vineyard and the cellar, giving the project a level of authenticity and coherence that is truly rare. The winery's viticultural patrimony is modest yet extraordinarily precious: just 4 hectares spread across 9 tiny plots, planted at altitudes ranging from 750 to 830 metres above sea level. Among these small treasures stands Acediano, a vineyard over 70 years old that embodies the full depth and memory of the terroir. The extreme continental climate, with sharp temperature contrasts between day and night, encourages a slow ripening process that yields wines of great freshness, balance and varietal character, with Tinta Fina — Tempranillo — as the leading grape. The winemaking philosophy rests on minimal intervention, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, with the aim of preserving the biodiversity of the vines and faithfully expressing the soils and environments in which the grapes are grown. Oak plays a secondary role, used solely as a refining element, always allowing the fruit and the primary expression of the terroir to take centre stage. Production is limited to approximately 17,000 bottles, distributed across their main wines: Naluar, Naluar El Espaldón and Acediano. The latter has garnered extraordinary international acclaim, earning scores such as 96 from Tim Atkin, 96 from Peñín, 95 Parker points and 17.5 from Jancis Robinson, establishing itself as one of the most exciting references in contemporary Ribera del Duero.