Tucked into the golden folds of the Duero Valley, where history flows as deeply as the river itself, Abadía Retuerta stands as one of Spain’s most soulful and singular wine estates. Anchored by a Romanesque abbey built by Premonstratensian monks in the 12th century, the estate bridges past and present, monastic serenity and modern precision. Its vineyards sprawl across Sardón de Duero, just outside the boundaries of the Ribera del Duero DO, yet its wines often speak with a clarity and gravitas that rival anything within those lines. With a deep respect for terroir, a pioneering spirit in viticulture, and a commitment to refined, expressive wines, Abadía Retuerta has carved a distinct identity in the Spanish and global wine landscape.
Abadía Retuerta
47340 Sardón de Duero, Valladolid, Spain
📞 Phone: +34 983 680 314
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History of the Winery
The story of Abadía Retuerta begins not in recent decades but in 1146, when the Abbey of Santa María de Retuerta was founded by Premonstratensian monks in what was then a remote spiritual enclave. These monks cultivated vines and made wine centuries before modern winemaking would return to the region. After centuries of religious, political, and agricultural transformation, the abbey and its surrounding lands fell into decline—until a bold vision in the late 20th century changed its fate.
In 1988, Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis acquired the estate and launched an ambitious restoration and replanting project. Their goal was not only to preserve the abbey and its historical value but also to reawaken the vinous potential of the land. With the help of Bordeaux consultant Pascal Delbeck and a dynamic Spanish team, the estate planted 210 hectares of vineyards in 1991. The winery released its first vintage in 1996. From the beginning, the focus was single-vineyard wines and a Burgundian approach to terroir—a philosophy rare for the time in Spain.
Over the decades, Abadía Retuerta has grown from a restoration project into a benchmark producer. In 2012, the estate opened LeDomaine, a five-star hotel and spa within the abbey walls, further intertwining hospitality and wine. More recently, it received Vino de Pago status—the highest quality designation in Spain—for its unique terroir, placing it among an elite group of single-estate producers like Dominio de Valdepusa or Pago de Arínzano.
The People
Behind Abadía Retuerta’s polished wines is a passionate, tight-knit team with decades of experience and a deep connection to the land. Winemaker Ángel Anocíbar, a trained oenologist and agronomist with a PhD in viticulture, has helmed the cellar since its inception in the 1990s. He studied at Bordeaux and returned to Spain with a clear vision: to create wines that speak of place, purity, and patience. His background in both science and tradition gives him a unique perspective on everything from vineyard mapping to yeast cultures, and his winemaking philosophy emphasizes minimal intervention, gravity flow, and precision aging.
Supporting Anocíbar is general manager Enrique Valero, whose strategic leadership has helped elevate Abadía Retuerta into a luxury brand without sacrificing authenticity. The estate also benefits from the legacy of the late Pascal Delbeck, who served as technical director in the early days, bringing claret-style finesse and vineyard-driven thinking to the Spanish context.
Together, the team has cultivated a philosophy that prioritizes biodiversity, sustainability, and human connection. Their work in the cellar is careful but confident, blending art and agriculture without overstatement.
Vineyards & Terroir
The vineyards of Abadía Retuerta are as varied as they are striking. Located on the banks of the River Duero at altitudes ranging from 700 to 850 meters, the estate features over two dozen micro-parcels planted to classic French varieties including Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. These parcels were meticulously mapped and planted according to soil type, exposure, and drainage, creating a mosaic of terroirs that is rare in this part of Spain.
The soils are rich in diversity—ranging from sandy alluvial plots near the river to limestone and gravel-rich ridges higher up the slope. This variety allows the team to vinify parcels separately and later craft site-specific wines with singular personalities. The climate is continental, marked by hot summers, cold winters, and sharp diurnal shifts, which help retain acidity and complexity in the grapes.
Viticultural practices are largely sustainable, with organic and biodynamic trials in many parcels. Cover crops, native flora, and careful pruning preserve soil health and reduce chemical use. Vineyard manager Isaac Muga leads these efforts with a holistic approach that balances tradition and innovation.
Wine Portfolio
Abadía Retuerta’s portfolio reflects its commitment to precision and site expression. The flagship wine, Selección Especial, is a blend of the estate’s best vineyard parcels—typically Tempranillo-led with generous portions of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Rich, balanced, and age-worthy, Selección Especial is the estate’s calling card and one of Spain’s most consistently lauded wines on the global stage.
The single-vineyard wines are the true soul of the project. Pago Negralada showcases Tempranillo from a gravelly plot with dense tannins and dark fruit, while Pago Valdebellón highlights Cabernet Sauvignon grown on limestone soils, offering freshness, graphite, and herbal elegance. Pago Garduña, made from Syrah, is one of the most acclaimed of its kind in Spain, with peppery depth and a Rhône-like texture.
Another standout is the Le Domaine Blanco, a rare Spanish white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo, barrel-fermented and structured like a fine white Bordeaux. This wine reflects the estate’s willingness to break category expectations and express its own voice.
All wines are aged in a mix of French and American oak barrels, with careful monitoring to ensure integration, not dominance. The cellar uses gravity rather than pumps, respecting the integrity of the fruit throughout the winemaking process.
Abadía Retuerta’s wines have earned acclaim from critics and collectors alike, yet they remain deeply rooted in a philosophy of humility, excellence, and place. With their recent certification as a “Vino de Pago” they have not only gained recognition for their terroir but also helped redefine the possibilities of fine wine from Castilla y León.
Five Notable Wineries Nearby
Vega Sicilia (Valbuena de Duero)
Arguably Spain’s most prestigious estate, Vega Sicilia has been the icon of Ribera del Duero since its founding in 1864. Known for its flagship Unico, a Tempranillo-Cabernet blend aged for over a decade before release, the winery combines aristocratic depth with long-lived finesse. Its meticulous approach to viticulture and ultra-traditional winemaking has made it a legend among global collectors.
Bodegas Pingus (Quintanilla de Onésimo)
Founded by Danish oenologist Peter Sisseck in 1995, Pingus is a modern cult wine phenomenon. With tiny production, biodynamic farming, and extreme attention to detail, Pingus wines like Dominio de Pingus and Flor de Pingus have captivated the wine world with their dense, yet hauntingly refined expression of old-vine Tempranillo.
Bodegas Aalto (Quintanilla de Arriba)
Created by former Vega Sicilia winemaker Mariano García, Aalto offers a bold, muscular interpretation of Ribera del Duero. Since its first vintage in 1999, the estate has built a strong reputation for age-worthy wines that combine power with purity, drawing fruit from old vines across the region.
Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro (Quintanilla de Onésimo)
Combining luxury tourism with serious winemaking, Arzuaga is a family-run estate that has become one of Ribera del Duero’s best-known names. Its wines often blend Tempranillo with Cabernet and Merlot, offering rich, polished profiles that appeal to both domestic and international markets.
Bodegas Emilio Moro (Pesquera de Duero)
With over a century of family winemaking behind it, Emilio Moro focuses on high-altitude, bush-trained Tempranillo. Their wines are known for purity, balance, and freshness, and the estate has been a leader in digital viticulture and sustainability practices within the region.
