Wine by the winery Cepa 21

There are people and names that are already part of the modern history of the wines of Ribera del Duero, and the Moro family is one of them. The family history dates back to 1932, as a project of three generations rooted in Ribera del Duero and dedicated to discover the characteristics of its terroir to transmit them in wines with personality. However, it was not until 1989 when the mother winery, Emilio Moro, was born as a brand.

Since then, the winery has consolidated itself as one of the exemplary wineries of our country, the successes of which are also recognised internationally. And from the youngest generation of Bodegas Emilio Moro, in the surroundings of Castrillo de Duero, the winemaking project Cepa 21 was born. It was led by brothers José and Javier Moro, as a clear expression of the winemaking revolution that has taken place in our country for the last few years.

History of the winery

Bodegas Cepa 21 was created in 2002 by brothers José and Javier Moro and a lot of their friends, also small shareholders, among whom are famous footballers and artists with a renown professional reputation.
The idea is to combine the construction of a modern, minimalist and functional winery with the wisdom gathered over generations to produce modern wines. The new winery is located on a small hill where it has some wonderful views of Ribera del Duero and the vineyards that surround the winery.

Under a wooden roof, the production warehouse is designed from a practical and functional point of view. It has 34 fermentation deposits with a capacity for 20,000 litres, 3 homogenization deposits of 60,000 litres, 2 isothermal deposits of 20,000 litres, 2 deposits that area always full with a capacity for 5,000 and 2,000 litres, and 2 vertical pneumatic stainless steel presses.

The laboratory is located inside the production warehouse. It is the actual control centre of the whole winery, since here they analyse parameters like grape ripeness, follow-up of the musts, temperature control for fermentation in deposits, maintenance of humidity parameters and temperature in all of the rooms of the winery, and even detection and extraction of carbon dioxide. The ageing warehouse is semi-buried. It has almost 70 metres in length and a capacity for more than 2,000 barrels.

Presiding on the one end is the tasting room. It has an irregular-shaped polygonal skylight that dimly illuminates the room with natural light, without interrupting the ageing of the wines. Behind a glass curtain is the air conditioned warehouse of bottled wine, which can hold up to one million bottles in the most suitable environment of humidity and temperature. In this air conditioned warehouse we can also find the bottling and labelling line. The winery also offers a gastronomic restaurant that presents a double style of dishes, paying tribute to the avant-garde and the traditional cuisine. With this magnificent combination, chef Alberto Soto creates tasting menus with a clear innovative approach, and a selection of typical dishes from Ribera del Duero.

Work philosophy

Cepa 21 aims to produce grapes of the highest quality as a starting point for the production of its wines. This objective entailed a correct choice of plots that needed to be planted and a suitable viticulture.

Currently, Cepa 21 has 50.38 hectares of Tinto Fino, of which the majority are located around the winery. It is planted on soils formed by a large ancient base and by tertiary sediments of silty sand and clays, at an altitude that ranges between 780 and 850 metres.

The essential features that determine the choice of soil can be summarised in a correct orientation, minimum levels of active limestone, and slightly vigorous soils that provide short growth cycles. Among other elements, they also analyse organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, active limestone, microelements, heavy metals, etc.
This way, knowing the origin and the composition of the soils, they intend to be respectful with the environment, with the vines and, above all, with the land. On the other hand, the clone that is cultivated in all plots owned by the winery is selected from the century-old vineyards of Pesquera de Duero.

Also, the balance between soil and plant is respected to the maximum extent, avoiding the use of any type of mineral fertiliser in the plantations. In order to compensate the extractions of harvests and vine shoots in the vineyard, they periodically fertilise with sheep manure, after it has been analysed in a specialised laboratory. Doing so they they try and make the plant itself reach deep layers to obtain the greatest viticultural potential of that soil. This way, the vines can withstand stress periods due to drought or high temperatures.

The control of weeds is done using inter-vine cultivators throughout the growth cycle, avoiding the use of synthetic herbicides and any possible residues of these that may be left in the wines. Depending on the characteristics of each soil, the number of buds, and therefore the production, is controlled since the pruning.
Normally, plots guided in espalier are pruned in Double Spur or Cordon de Royat, leaving three shoots per cane with two buds on each shoot. Pruning cuttings that have a considerable diameter are treated with scarring and fungicidal products to eliminate the entry pathways of wood fungi.
The removed sprouts are removed from the plots to reduce outbreaks of future pests and diseases. Once the vine starts shooting, and in a period free of spring frosts, all shoots arising from the buds that are not dormant are eliminated, reducing production and providing aeration and sun exposure to the remaining bunches.

They keep an intense follow-up of cryptogamic diseases and pests that can damage the vineyard and the grape, carrying out preventive treatments based almost exclusively on sulphur (control of oidium and mites) and Bacillus thurigiensis (biological control of moths and therefore of rotting).

Around 8 or 10 bunches are left per vine, depending on the farm and the development of the plant, so that it can correctly conclude the ripening of the grapes in the most optimal conditions according to the characteristics of each vintage. The harvest is performed in separate plots, and the final parameters of the production are analysed, determining the destination and oenological potential of each one. All the grapes that enter the winery go through the selection table to remove remainders of leaves, stems or defective bunches.

With all these cultivation techniques, they can achieve the optimal oenological parameters that define the personality of the wines from Bodegas Cepa 21.

Wines from Cepa 21

Hito Rosado is made 100% with Tinto Fino, and it is born with the aim of offering the consumer the freshest and most aromatic version of this variety. It has floral notes along with fresh aromas of red fruits. In the mouth it is lively and very fresh, with a mature mid-palate and a vibrant acidity.

Hito is a medium-aged red wine made with the youngest vineyards in the winery, grafted with the Tinto Fino clones from the most emblematic vineyards of Bodegas Emilio Moro. On the nose it is mature, interesting and complex, with black fruit in jam seasoned with spices and liquorice. In the mouth it is amiable and sweet, well balanced and with a warm and persistent aftertaste.

Cepa 21 is a red wine with an ageing of 12 months in French oak barrels. It is made with Tinto Fino grown in soils belonging to the municipalities of Castrillo de Duero, Pesquera de Duero and Nava de Duero, chosen for their edaphological affinity, with alternating limestone and clayey layers, with slight outcrops of alluvial and sedimentary boulders. Here, the fruit develops in the glass with liveliness and freshness, surrounded by nuances that give it hints of fineness and complexity. In the mouth it is meaty and persistent, with a high-quality tannin. The tenderness of the aftertaste and the nuances of its retronasal aromas invite you to continue drinking.

Malabrigo is a wine with an ageing of 18 months in new French oak barrels. It is made with Tinto Fino, planted oriented to the north and on a cool slope, which translates into a slow and late evolution of the grape. The characteristics of its soil, a mixture between loamy-sandy and clay with abundant stones, allow for an earlier ripening, balancing the graduation with the polyphenolic composition. It has an intense aroma of black fruit in jam, with a marked presence of spicy notes, carmine and Chinese ink. The roasted nuances are integrated with the primary aromas, offering an assembly of great personality and nobility. In the mouth it is silky and enveloping, with a marked persistent finish, and a long aftertaste, where we can once again enjoy the nuances of spicy fruit.