Wines · White · D.O. Ribera del Duero
Unanimous Santa Cruz
A white for ageing from old-vine Albillo Mayor, sought out vine by vine among the reds. Rich, complex and fresh.
They say that making wine is a conversation among many voices: the land, the climate, the hands and time. Sometimes they disagree, but there comes a moment when everything finds its balance and time, patient at last, delivers its verdict. From that silent agreement, Unanimous was born. The three “gentlemen” on the label protect a piece of living history: vineyards planted between 1890 and 1948 by people who are no longer with us, a book holding everything earlier generations learned about the vine.
- Grape
- Albillo Mayor
- Vineyard
- Bush-trained micro-plots planted before 1950 in Fuentecén, at 880–912 m
- Ageing
- About 12 months on lees in 225-litre fine-grain French oak barrels
Albillo Mayor was long scorned and for decades it was grubbed up on a massive scale. Today only scattered vines survive in old bush-trained vineyards planted between 1920 and 1950, mixed in with red varieties: to make Santa Cruz we have to walk many micro-plots and harvest them one by one.
It is a white for ageing: two thirds of the wine ferments and rests on its lees in French oak barrels, the rest in stainless steel. In 2019 the D.O. Ribera del Duero Regulatory Council chose it among the 7 most representative single-varietal Albillo Mayor wines of the region.
Vintage 2022
Technical sheet
Terroir
- Location
- It comes from a painstaking harvest across many micro-plots in the Burgos part of Ribera del Duero (Fuentecén). Albillo Mayor vines are usually found in vineyards planted between 1920 and 1950, scattered among red varieties, so we have to walk the vineyards to find them.
- Grape
- Albillo Mayor only.
- Altitude
- Between 880 and 912 metres, the altitudes at which vines were traditionally planted, as they were safer from frost and ripened better.
- Age and training
- Bush-trained vineyards planted before 1950, the only places where original Albillo Mayor vines remain. The variety was long scorned and for decades it was grubbed up on a massive scale.
- Soil
- Soils vary from plot to plot, but there is usually a deep clay base with sandy-loam soils on the surface, carried down by run-off from the area's heavy storms, or plenty of rounded stones.
- Growing season
- A dry winter with occasional snowfall. Budburst on 29 April, as the much-needed spring rains arrived. May stayed cold and humid, leaving an excellent water reserve for the dry summer. The vines developed slowly and in remarkable balance up to the harvest on 24 September, with optimal ripening and precise colour, phenolic ripeness and acidity.
Winemaking
- Harvest
- In 15 kg crates, avoiding hot days and the middle of the day so the grapes arrive as cool as possible. They are chilled before pressing.
- In the winery
- Light pressing without stems. 65% goes straight into barrel and the remaining 35% into stainless steel tanks, where it ferments; it then rests on its lees in barrel. The two are blended before bottling.
- Ageing
- About 12 months in 225-litre barrels made from France's most prized fine-grain oak.
Tasting notes
- Appearance
- Very pale straw yellow. Clean and bright.
- Nose
- Fruit aromas stand out, with hints of pineapple and grapefruit typical of Albillo, over a creamy background. Good acidity and intensity.
- Palate
- Rich, complex and fresh. Good intensity and a pleasant, slightly bitter finish, very typical of the variety.
Awards
- 2026 · Decanter (2022 vintage)
- 95 points. First wine in the “40 top Ribera del Duero wines” selection, blind tasting of 342 wines (October 2026).
- 2019 · Ribera del Duero D.O. Council
- Chosen among the 7 best and most representative single-varietal Albillo Mayor wines of Ribera del Duero.
Technical data
Limited production: 1,100 bottles
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Library vintages
We also keep the 2018–2021 vintages. They are released on rare occasions, by draw among club members. See library vintages