The Yllera family has been one of the leading wine producers in Castilla and León for decades, and in the early 2010s decided to produce a unique and timeless Ribera del Duero wine.
After years of searching for the ideal terroir, the family acquired the VivaltuS estate in 2015, located on the border of the Duero, Cuco and Esgueva valleys. With the help of French oenologist Jean-Claude Berrouet and state-of-the-art winemaking tools, considerable work was carried out to create an emblematic wine that would enhance an exceptional vineyard of old vines.
With a freshness of rare finesse and elegance, VivaltuS reveals a new interpretation of Ribera del Duero wines and expresses all the nuances of its original terroir.
VivaltuS 2016 is made from an array of terroirs composed of old vines aged between 70 and 100 years. This terroir includes two exceptional vineyards. The Fuentenebro vineyard, located between 900 and 1,000 metres above sea level, has decomposed granite and red clay soils that provide the wines with an elegant, fruitt and a pleasant natural acidity. The La Aguilera terroir, with sandy and clay-limestone soils, is located between 840 and 870 metres above sea level and is known for bringing elegance and freshness to the blend.
Although the beginning of winter was dry and mild, February was marked by a rapid drop in temperature along with frost and snowfall. In the spring, heavy rainfall combined with cool temperatures caused a delay in the budding of the vines until mid-April. Cool and dry, the summer is marked by significant temperature variations between day and night (from 35º to 5ºC on certain plots). The grapes are harvested at full maturity from September 29th.
Vinification and ageing
The grapes are rigorously sorted on the vine and upon arrival at the winery before being vinified by gravity throughout the process. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Minimal intervention. The wine is aged for 11 months in extra fine French oak barrels (20% of which are new), followed by additional bottle ageing after blending.
