Introducing RuBor Viticultores: Thrilling Wines from Old Vines in the Sierra de Gredos!
12/14/16 -
RuBor Viticultores is a winegrowing partnership between Rubén Díaz and Orly Lumbreras, born of friendship and a shared passion for the vineyards of the Sierra de Gredos, a range of massive mountains just west of Madrid, where perfectly adapted old vines of Garnacha grow on granite and schist slopes (alongside tiny amounts of white grapes Albillo Real and Chasselas). A new generation of winegrowers are making their mark in the Gredos by recuperating abandoned vines or adopting vineyards from retiring growers, farming carefully (organically with some biodynamic methods), and nurturing majestic old vines into world-class wines. RuBor is central to the push toward innovation and terroir expression, thoughtfully crafting a tiny amount of wine in their cellars in the atmospheric mountain town of Cebreros - the heart of the Sierra de Gredos and namesake for the soon-to-be D.O.P. Vino de Calidad de Cebreros.
In conversation with winemakers of the Gredos, it doesn't take long for Rubén Díaz's name to come up. Affable, open, and generous, a true son of Cebreros, Díaz is an encyclopedic and unassuming connector between the best grapes in the area and those who want them. His first career was as a broker of land use rights, which, while profitable, required him on occasion to counsel clients to rip out old vineyards. He described the pain that this action caused in his heart, leading him in 1998 to abandon the "dark side" and pursue a life in service of the village's sacred old vines; he sought help learning how to prune the vines and started to make his own wine.
In 2013, Díaz joined forces with Orly Lumbreras to launch RuBor Viticultores. Orly was busy splitting his time between full-time work as a sound engineer at Radio Nacional de España and pursuit of his passion: making Garnacha from some of the Gredos' most extreme mountain vineyards around the town of Navarredondilla (a familiar name to fans of El Marciano Garnacha from Alfredo Maestro - Orly's former cellarmate). Orly is talented and taciturn, palpably awed by the cosmic force of these magnetic mountains, and prone to poetry in describing RuBor's perspective on farming, winemaking, and nature itself.
He and Rubén came together to collaborate on making some Albillo, and officially teamed up as RuBor in June 2013 while sampling the grapes of a high, sandy Garnacha vineyard in Cebreros. They describe the fruit as small and concentrated in flavor with brilliant acidity and "electric" tannins, unlike any Garnacha either one of them had tasted (in a region teeming with examples of extraordinary Garnacha). They saw sparks and RuBor was born. These revelatory grapes would become a singular wine - Groove - which we are delighted to offer today.
"White wine is for dreaming, and red wine is for enjoyment," Orly reflected. It stands to reason that in hardcore red wine country like the Gredos, the duty to respect the grandeur of Garnacha and reflect terroir precisely may inhibit experimenting freely with reds, while white wine can be a source for freedom and fancy. Tasting with Rubén and Orly, it is clear that they have a lot of fun with their white wine experiments! We have just received the 2015 vintage of Chass! - 100% Chasselas with a little bit of skin contact and a lot of fresh, salty, mineral flavor. According to Rubén Díaz, Chasselas (also known as Doré) has been in the region for a very long time, having been brought from Valencia along the Camino de Levante leading to Santiago.
Albillo Real is the great white grape of the Gredos. Big-boned with moderate acidity, it is most frequently compared to Rhone whites, but Albillo possesses a personailty all its own and a wide, intriguing variety of expressions, invariably infused with the power of mountain earth and air. The first release of Protocolo Zero Albillo and Garnacha have arrived, RuBor's first wines made from blends of vineyards and vinifications, driven by "solo sensaciones fugaces" (only fleeting sensations) rather than predetermined protocol.
The results are sensuous, exotic, and mineral, full of personality and pleasure that is enhanced by their very low price. The new vintage of Orly's first winemaking project - Punto G - rounds out this special lineup of wines. Every bottle of RuBor wine feels like a delicious adventure, an experience of something totally new. Dream and enjoy! Ariana Rolich
