Oro de Castilla Finca Los Hornos

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Bodegas Hermanos del Villar, producers of Oro de Castilla, is a family-owned winery rooted in Rueda, with a long-standing focus on precision viticulture and quality-driven winemaking. The estate’s history dates to 1955, when Pablo del Villar Escudero settled in Rueda, establishing the del Villar family’s presence in the region. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the family planted their first vineyards with Verdejo, Sauvignon Blanc, and Tempranillo, laying the foundation for today’s estate-grown wines. Oro de Castilla Finca Los Hornos represents the realization of a vineyard once considered unviable due to low yields and challenging conditions. Rather than abandon the site, the winery adopted a focused, site-specific approach to viticulture and winemaking to unlock its potential. Planted on a former brick kiln, the vineyard is defined by river stones over highly acidic, gypsum-rich soils. After more than a decade of careful work, Finca Los Hornos has emerged as one of Rueda’s most distinctive expressions of Verdejo, marked by elegance, restraint, and a pronounced saline character, prioritizing finesse and precision over power.

WHAT MAKES THIS WINE UNIQUE?

Sourced from our renowned Finca de los Hornos vineyard, this Verdejo is crafted from grapes that reflect the distinct terroir of the plot. The vineyard's unusually acidic, stony soils yield a limited but uniquely expressive crop, giving this wine a one-of-a-kind profile with remarkable depth and character.

RATING HISTORY:

2023 94VM; 2022 94VM, 2021 95VM

GRAPE:

100% Verdejo. Organically grown single vineyard planted in 1990. Tended in river stone soil at 719 m (2,359ft) elevation. This is a vegan wine.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:

Pairs well with fatty fish, white meats, pasta, cold cuts, cheeses, and smoked dishes.

VINIFICATION AND AGING:

The vinification process for this Verdejo begins with rapid cooling of the grapes, followed by a brief maceration before pressing and cold settling. Fermentation unfolds in 850L wooden casks at a controlled low temperature, relying solely on the wine’s native yeasts to preserve the pure varietal aromas of Verdejo. After fermentation, the wine matures on its lees for 8 months, enhancing complexity, and is lightly clarified before bottling.

LOCATION, SOIL, CLIMATE:

Located in the villages of Rueda and La Seca within the Rueda DO, the bodega's vineyards sit at 719 meters (2,359 ft.), benefiting from a distinctive terroir. A deep layer of river stones and sand provides excellent drainage, while the limestone and clay subsoil retains essential moisture, supporting vine health. The soils, low in organic matter, encourage low vigor and yield, enhancing the grapes' aromatic intensity and flavor. The Continental climate, marked by hot days, cool nights, and low annual rainfall (16.4 inches), extends the ripening period, resulting in wines that are fresh, crisp, and complex with intense aromatics.

TASTING NOTES:

Pale yellow with golden highlights, this wine presents an elegant nose with aromas of stone fruit, subtle wood, cut grass, balsamic, citrus (grapefruit), and minerals, finishing with a hint of peat. On the palate, it is round and refined, offering fresh, well-integrated acidity and a very long aniseed aftertaste. A harmonious blend of fullness and freshness, it showcases mineral notes, great balance, and persistent complexity.

ALCOHOL CONTENT:

13%

UPC CODE:

8437025118403