Ribera del Duero estate in Quintanilla de Onésimo, with certified organic vineyards and red wines from Tinto Fino, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
The producer
Finca Villacreces sits in Quintanilla de Onésimo beside Vega Sicilia on Ribera del Duero's Golden Mile. Its 15 vineyard plots hold Tinto Fino, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot under sustainable, certified organic viticulture. Pruno 2022 has dark cherry, violet and subtle spice aromas, with a juicy, velvety palate. Finca Villacreces 2020 brings cherry and blueberry fruit with mocha and sweet baking spices. The estate winery was built within the property.
Known for
Certified organic Ribera reds
Notable facts
The estate's earliest bibliographical record dates to 1350 and names Pedro de Villacreces as its first resident.
The Cuadrado family of Valladolid acquired the estate at the beginning of the twentieth century and began bottling and branding its wine in the mid 1990s.
The vineyards stand at 700 metres above sea level in a climate of large temperature fluctuations, long winters and dry summers with low rainfall.
The estate's own vineyards use sustainable, certified organic viticulture.
Villacreces was reinaugurated in 2007 after winery remodelling and vineyard restoration, then opened to public visits and wine tourism.
The story
Pedro's Monastery Vineyard
In 1350, the Franciscan friar Pedro de Villacreces was recorded as the estate's first resident. He and fellow clergymen maintained a small vineyard for wine consumed by themselves and by nearby monasteries. The planting was modest, but it served two communities, the residents and the religious houses around them. This early account places a named friar, a vineyard and the surrounding monasteries in the same winegrowing scene, centuries before the Cuadrado family acquired the estate at the beginning of the twentieth century.
From the atlas
Finca Villacreces
A Ribera del Duero estate with a restored vineyard and a winery built within the property.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Appellation
Ribera del Duero
Village
Quintanilla de Onésimo, Valladolid
Main grapes
Tinto Fino, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Signature wine
Finca Villacreces 2020
Farming
Sustainable, certified organic viticulture
The Producer
Pedro de Villacreces, a Franciscan friar, was the first resident named in the estate's earliest bibliographical record, dated 1350. The Cuadrado family of Valladolid acquired the estate at the beginning of the twentieth century and began bottling and branding its wine in the mid 1990s. Peter Sisseck served as a consultant to Finca Villacreces.
After winery remodelling and painstaking vineyard restoration, Villacreces was reinaugurated in 2007 and opened its doors to the public and wine tourism. The winery was built at the heart of the estate to preserve its natural surroundings while allowing meticulous control of the winemaking process.
Place
Finca Villacreces lies in Quintanilla de Onésimo, Valladolid, beside Vega Sicilia on Ribera del Duero's Golden Mile. The vineyards stand at 700 metres above sea level in a climate of large temperature fluctuations, long winters and dry summers with low rainfall.
The vineyard is divided into 15 plots planted with Tinto Fino, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The ground runs from extremely sandy sectors near the pines to very stony terrain dominated by alluvial Duero pebbles.
Wines
The range includes Pruno 2022 and Finca Villacreces 2020, both red Ribera del Duero wines. Pruno 2022 is fruit driven and approachable, with dark cherry, violet and subtle spice aromas, ripe juicy fruit on a medium to full bodied palate, and a juicy, velvety texture. Ripe plums and Morello cherries mark the finish.
Finca Villacreces 2020 slowly reveals cherry and blueberry fruit beside mocha and sweet baking spices. The two wines give the range different profiles, with Pruno centred on direct fruit and approachability, while Finca Villacreces develops its fruit and spice gradually.
Final Word
At Finca Villacreces, yields are around 4,000 kilograms per hectare and production is limited to less than 2 kilograms per vine.