Raiders of the lost treasure

Anyone who meets Javier Rodríguez on a country road somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Castile-León is sure to mistake him for an adventurer. Yet the bearded man, who usually wears a khaki vest, is in fact one of Spain's most sought-after winemakers. But the first impression is not wrong because the man is really on a treasure hunt: equipped with a map, an earth drill and a head full of ideas, he searches for the most extraordinary vineyards. He knows precisely how physical and chemical properties of a specific soil can affect the grapes. With his expertise, he has even made it to the University of California, where he held a teaching position. Even the world-famous Château Lafite-Rothschild relied on the Spaniard's soil analyses for its new plantings. In his younger years, Javier was a «flying winemaker» throughout Spain.

Today he says with conviction that the D.O. Toro has the best vineyards in the country. A look at the history of the region supports his claim: The area was already known to the Romans, and in the Middle Ages it was the most sought-after wine region in Iberia. King Alfonso IX was an enthusiastic patron of Toro: «I have a bull that gives me wine», he is said to have bragged. The wine was not only in the cellars of royal houses, no, it even traveled with Columbus to America. After the world wars, Toro increasingly fell into oblivion. Only in recent years has the new generation of winemakers succeeded in fully exploiting the potential of this D.O. Thanks to the know-how of winemakers like Javier Rodríguez, the «bull» today again produces wine that Spain can be proud of.

It is quiet, only the birds are chirping. An enchanted forest surrounds the small castle perched in the middle of a hill. In front of it a fairy-tale garden and vines, endless rows of vines... but we are not in a fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm, but in the heart of the Bordelais. And there is no evil stepmother here either, but only wine. For a long time it was quiet around the beautiful estate. But in 2014, the star oenologist Michel Rolland came along as the perfect «prince» to bring the château out of its slumber. Kissed awake with a wine whose unbeatable price-performance ratio makes you sit up and take notice. Sounds too good to be true? It gets even better: the top oenologist has not failed to notice that the soils here in the commune of Saint-Quentin de Caplong are of a similar nature to those in the famous Saint-Émilion, just 30 kilometers away. In other words, the perfect terroir for Merlot, which is why some 50 hectares of vines have been newly planted. In addition, the farm converted to organic in 2017. We are honestly extremely stunned by the relationship between quality, prestige, sustainability and price. But there has always been something mysterious surrounding the château, which once belonged to the chief gardener of Sun King Louis XIV. For example, a cellar door with an underground tunnel leading to the village church. Stuff for fairy tales, isn't it?

In 1141 the Ricasoli family began to press wine at Castello di Brolio. It is thus the oldest winery in Italy. In 1993 Francesco Ricasoli recaptured the Castello of his ancestors, rich in tradition, from the hands of a multinational corporation. Since then, he has been constantly taking on new challenges to live up to his illustrious ancestors. Not an easy legacy, as Francesco's ancestor Bettino Ricasoli invented nothing less than Chianti Classico. How to breathe new life into classics from the past is something they know very well in Gaiole. After all, thousands of cyclists make the pilgrimage there every October to take part in the «Eroica», the famous retro cycling race. Then Francesco Ricasoli can be seen riding up to his estate on his historic Bianchi bicycle. The white gravel crunches under his tires, he pedals hard. You can tell this older man is bursting with energy and ambition. He has invested a whole three years in precisely measuring the terroir of his vineyards. We now find the result of the effort in the Cru Colledilà. The wine comes from a single vineyard of 7 hectares with particularly calcium-rich soil. It is a spicy and earthy wine of impressive concentration. Even wine critic James Suckling was enthusiastic: «The complexity and depth in the finish are breathtaking.» A great classic that outlasts time and its fashions.