Martín Berdugo

The viticultural journey Bodegas y Viñedos Martín Berdugo started in 1990, in a scree that contains all the memories and feelings of a family that relied on the great potential that DO Ribera del Duero had back then. It was at the time when Josefina Martín Berdugo, with the support of her husband, Enrique, and her children, Antonio, Bruno and Pepa, decided to plant a vineyard with the local variety Tinto Fino, on soils will pebbles that were ideal for its cultivation. The first harvests of those grapes where sold to other wineries of Ribera del Duero until, at last, in 2000 they built their own winery. They started their winemaking journey in the passionate world of production and marketing of their Martín Berdugo wines.

History of the winery

The winery is located on the road of La Colonia, in the municipality of Aranda de Duero, province of Burgos. The project was designed by architects Vicky Daroca and María Viñé. It was the spearhead of avant-garde architecture in Ribera del Duero, and in 2005 it was recognised by the prestigious German magazine Bauwet and awarded the prize to the best European design in the construction category. The winery also has quality certification ISO 9000:2004 and environmental certification ISO 14001:2006, which guarantee the traceability of the product from the vine to the consumer, as well as respect for the environment.

The winery has 104 hectares in a single site surrounding the winery. It is located on a terrace above the Duero river, in the meander that forms right before its union with the Arandilla river, at 800 metres of altitude, and with extreme climate conditions. Here, they currently have 87 hectares of Tinto Fino vineyards trained in espalier. We are speaking of a privileged area, comprised of alluvial soils, covered with boulders that retain the heat and the humidity, thus favouring the ripening and providing a peculiar aroma and colour to a unique fruit.

Work philosophy

At Martín Berdugo, their obsession is their vineyard. This is why they undertake an exhaustive control during the entire cycle, since they make their wines exclusively from their own harvest. As a complement of dry pruning, they also perform green pruning and thinning of bunches, which limits the production well below the maximum limits allowed by the Regulatory Council. Their aim is to achieve the maximum quality of the fruit. Before the harvest, they determine the suitability of the grapes by areas. This way, the select those that are more appropriate for each type of wine. The harvest is carried out manually with a selection of bunches. The closeness of the winery guarantees that they receive the fruit in the best conditions.

Once the grapes arrive at the winery, the must is fermented in stainless steel deposits, at a controlled temperature. They use a pre-fermentation agent or starter (pie de cuba) made with the yeasts than can be found in grapes, with gives individuality and personality to the wine. The ageing takes place in new American and French oak barrels of medium roasting. It is clarified with egg albumin and filtered briefly before bottling. They avoid cold processes, so natural precipitates may appear inside the bottle.

Wines from Martín Berdugo

Below is a list of wines produced by Martín Berdugo. Enjoy!

Martín Berdugo “mb” is a signature wine or ‘vino de autor’ made to surprise you. It is made 100% with Tinto Fino from grapes that were grown in the strictly controlled areas of the vineyard. After a careful manual selection of bunches and grapes, these are pre-fermented at 6ºC for four days, before the fermentation maceration that lasts 18 days. The malolactic fermentation takes place in new French oak barrels. Then, it is aged for 16 months, also in new French oak barrels. It has aromas of ripe fruit, with red forest fruit, currants, nutmeg and hints of pepper, vanilla and cinnamon. In the mouth, the fruit compote stands outs, with sweet ripe tannins, and a pleasant and persistent finish with some balsamic and mineral notes.

Martín Berdugo Crianza se is made 100% with Tinto Fino. It undergoes the malolactic fermentation in stainless steel deposits, and then, it is aged for 12 months in new American (90%) and French (10%) oak barrels. On the nose, the abundance of fruit stands out, alongside notes of pastry, cocoa, toast, vanilla. It is very aromatic, and elegant, complex and attractive as a whole. In the mouth, it is meaty, well structures, with a polished tannin. It has abundant aromas of fresh red fruit, very good acidity and a long finish.

Martín Berdugo Barrica is made 100% with Tinto Fino. It goes through the malolactic fermentation in stainless steel deposits, and then it remains a few months in the barrel. This wine is honest and intense, with nuances of bramble and liquorice, roasted hints, aromas of fresh fruit and notes of vanilla. In the mouth, it is silky, ample, with pleasant tannins that are perfectly combined with the fruit. It also has subtle roasted hints from the oak.

Martín Berdugo Joven is a varietal of Tinto Fino with an attractive and intense cherry red colour, with blueish and purplish rims from its youth. On the nose, it is intense, with abundant black fruit and floral notes. In the mouth, it is meaty, well structured, with aromas of fresh fruit that stand out, and a good balance between acidity and sweet tannins.

Martín Berdugo Rosado is made 100% with Tinto Fino. It has a strawberry pink colour, with reflections of cherries. Shiny and somewhat more opaque than traditional rosé wines. It has an intense aroma of fresh fruit, strawberry sweets, raspberries, with slight sweet hints of flower honey, notes of bananas, citrus and biscuits. In the mouth, it shows the fresh fruit that was sensed on the nose, silky and fresh, well balanced, and with a very pleasant and persistent mid-palate.

Martín Berdugo Verdejo is their young white wine made 100% with Verdejo. It is marketed under D.O. Rueda. It has an honest, fresh aroma, with fruit intensity and a floral background with citrus notes. In the mouth, it is well structured, with a balanced acidity, tasty, with a persistent finish and a bitter and long aftertaste characteristic of the Verdejo variety.