With 30 years of history and a winemaking tradition dating back more than eight centuries, Abadía Retuerta finds its essence and raison d’être in its estate wine (the vino de pago appellation in Spanish), which is the wine that most accurately expresses the personality and uniqueness of the terroir.
The estate covers 700 hectares of land but only the best soil has been used to plant the vines, in other words, 180 hectares. There are 54 small plots or vineyards, differentiated mainly by the composition of the soil and each planted with a single variety. In total there is 70% Tempranillo, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah. The remaining 10% is divided between Merlot, Petit Verdot and some white varieties that were purely experimental until the 2011 vintage was produced.
This is one of the most innovative and technologically advanced wineries in Europe. Designed by French wine expert Pascal Delbeck, its current consultant, and established by the viticulturist and wine expert Ángel Anocíbar, it was one of the first facilities in Spain to commit to moving wine using gravity alone. Its system for lifting tanks with cranes and own patented system for transferring the wine are particularly noteworthy.
The unique nature of all the wines can be seen in the numerous awards received. The most recent corresponds to the latest edition of Club de Gourmets magazine, which has listed the 2015 Petit Verdot in the Liga 99 (wines awarded 99 points out of 100).
Abadía Retuerta Selección Especial 2001 won the award for the World’s Best Red Wine—Red Wine Trophy-—awarded by the International Wine Challenge in London in 2005 (Wine Magazine, UK). It is also the first Spanish winery to feature for three consecutive years on the list of the Top 100 Wines in the World published since 1988 by the accredited American magazine Wine Spectator, with its Abadía Retuerta Selección Especial.
Ángel Anocíbar: Winemaker and vineyard and winery Director
Born in a small village in the province of Navarra. He studied Viticulture and Oenology at the Escuela de la Vid in Madrid, before moving to Bordeaux where he acquired his Diplôme National d’Oenologue and Diplôme d’Études Approfondies. Finally, in 1998, he obtained his doctorate in Oenology and Ampelography with the European stamp, becoming the only Spanish person to achieve such a title.
After a couple of grape harvests in France, at Château La Jalgue (Cubeirac) and Calon Segur (Saint Estèphe), he started working at Abadía Retuerta in 1996, under the direction of Pascal Delbeck.
Ángel Anocíbar has won awards for his research, and in 2005 he was named Winemaker of the Year by the International Wine Challenge (Wine Magazine). His wines have won several medals and high praise from critics.
He is a member of the International Wine Academy of France.
Pascal Delbeck: Vigneron and Consultant
He comes from a long line of winemakers, spanning five generations. After studying viticulture and oenology in Bordeaux and Libourne, at the age of 22 he became the youngest director of a Cru Classé when he took charge of Château Ausone (Premier grand cru classé A, Saint- Émilion) and Château Belair (Premier grand cru classé B, Saint-Émilion) both owned at the time by Madame Dubois-Challon.
In 1979, he began to develop patents related to the work of the vineyard and wine: a gravity-based racking system, a “ouillage” system with micro-oxygenation, harvesting in small boxes, sorting table, harvest transportation design, “hélicopigeur” etc… Today, he is the owner of Château Tour du Pas Saint-Georges, in Saint-Georges Saint-Émilion. He also advises many estates abroad, in Turkey, the United States, and, since its origins, Abadía Retuerta.
Pascal is a board member of the International Academy of Wine, Geneva, among other Wine Brotherhoods, and he holds an Order of Merit for Agriculture.
Since 1996, the true jewels in our crown have been jealously guarded: that is, nestled in our Cueva de los Monjes (the Monks’ Cave) is a collection of very rare wines, of incalculable value. We aim to observe, assess and enjoy the growth and maturing of the wine in the bottle, for as long as possible. These wines are very difficult to track down outside of our winery — they practically do not exist.
View AllThe Winemaker’s Collection is also worthy of mention, the fruit of Ángel Anocibar’s interest in experimenting and fully discovering the possibilities of the estate. Thus, these unique wines with a very limited production of between 300 and 500 units, each of which is numbered, are the result of testing different grape varieties or forms of production that are not so common in the área.
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Our estate products (wine salt, pine nuts, and honey from our own beehives) have been crafted using natural raw materials, of the highest quality. They are sourced from our own lands, inspired by the age-old traditions of the monks of Abadía Retuerta, of which we are the custodians.
View AllWe have different sizes available, depending on your needs. From a 1.5 litre Magnum, perfect for those special moments, to our 18-litre bottle, known as a Salomón.
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Choose from our luxury range, a true reflection of Abadía Retuerta’s proud history.
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A gift can make all the difference. Discover all our gift options, and give somebody a perfect surprise.
Wine is the essence of Abadía Retuerta LeDomaine’s history. Produced by selecting the best grapes from our vineyards, our range features a strong commitment to terroir wines.
The Academia del Terruño is a pioneering training project that analyzes the term «Terruño» in a precise way.
We know that the terroir is responsible for the profile of a wine… that the soil, the climate, the variety and the human factor are determining factors in the quality of the wines, but… to what extent? Is everything they have told us true?
