Felix Callejo
Bodegas Félix Callejo in Sotillo de la Ribera farms 55 hectares on the northern edge of the Duero valley, between 830 and 930 meters in altitude. Félix and Pilar Callejo founded the estate in 1989; today their four children run it, José Félix and Noelia in the cellar, Cristina and Beatriz in sales. The estate has worked organically since 2000, with cover crops between the vine rows, spontaneous fermentation, and a harvest that begins early. Tim Atkin named José Félix Callejo "Winemaker of the Year" in 2021. In the wines made from Tinto Fino, the acidity of the cold nights remains recognizable as a backbone, from the Flores de Callejo to the Gran Callejo Gran Reserva.
Sotillo de la Ribera, 1989
Félix Callejo took on his father's legacy early and founded the estate in Sotillo de la Ribera in 1989 together with his wife Pilar. In the early years, the two of them packed their wines into suitcases and traveled across Europe to make them known. Today the son and three daughters run the house, two of them trained oenologists: José Félix Callejo and Noelia Callejo are responsible for the cellar, Cristina and Beatriz Callejo for sales. The Viña Pilar Clarete is named after Pilar Callejo.
José Félix Callejo completed an internship in Pomerol in 1999 and worked in Chile a year later, while Noelia Callejo gained experience in Argentina and twice in Napa Valley. Both returned to the village of their childhood.
27 plots on the páramos
The vineyards are spread across 27 plots along the hills of Sotillo de la Ribera. Up on the páramos, the barren plateaus at 930 meters, limestone emerges at the surface. Further down in the valley, gravel soils from old riverbeds alternate with sandy zones near the pine forests and heavy clay soils. Temperature differences between day and night often exceed 15 degrees, which allows the Tinto Fino to retain its acidity. In the high-altitude plots above 900 meters, frost used to be a threat, and the grapes didn't fully ripen every year; today these cool plots are among the most sought-after in Ribera del Duero.
The Finca Valdelroble comes from one of these plots at 930 meters, 75 percent Tinto Fino and 25 percent Merlot, grown on limestone soil, fermented in concrete tank and aged 18 months in 500-liter oak barrels. For the Flores de Callejo, the Callejos harvest young Tinto Fino from plots at 830 and 850 meters, here on sand and clay; fermentation and aging last five months in steel tank and in barrels of the same size.
Work in the vineyard
Between the vine rows, cover crops naturally limit the yield, fermentations start spontaneously with the yeasts from the vineyards, and the harvest begins early, which keeps the fruit crisp and the alcohol moderate. The Majuelos de Callejo comes from old vines of individual plots. In the glass, dark fruit, toasted aromas, and a silky texture emerge.
Gran Reserva and Albillo Mayor
The Gran Callejo Gran Reserva is a single-varietal Tinto Fino grown at 900 meters, aged two years in French barriques and then three years in bottle; after these five years of aging, it carries the Gran Reserva classification. The Callejos use Albillo Mayor, the region's indigenous white variety, in the Parajes de Callejo as a blending component alongside Tinto Fino, contributing minerality and stability, and as a single varietal in El Lebrero, with skin contact, chalky and firm on the palate.