Bodegas Los Astrales

Bodegas Los Astrales is located in Anguix, a tiny village with fewer than 120 inhabitants in the northwestern part of Ribera del Duero. The Romera de la Cruz family, grape growers in Anguix for generations, decided at the end of 2000 to take a new direction. Instead of selling their grapes to other producers, they established their own winery, aiming to produce wines of the highest quality. Thus, Bodegas Los Astrales was born.

They appointed Eduardo García as technical director, the son of legendary oenologist Mariano García, who spent more than thirty years at the iconic Vega Sicilia. Eduardo studied at renowned schools in Bordeaux and Spain and gained hands-on experience at leading wineries such as Cos d’Estournel, Hubert Lignier, and Ridge Vineyards. He remained closely involved with Los Astrales until 2013, when José Hidalgo Togores took over. Togores is a prominent figure in the Spanish wine scene: author of several standard works on oenology, professor at the Camilo José Cela University, and advisor to 36 wineries, including some of Spain’s finest.

The winery owns 29 hectares of vineyards, primarily planted with Tempranillo. Of these, 12 hectares consist of old vines aged between 30 and 100 years, including plots such as Fuente Santa, La Cañada, and Los Astrales itself. Between 2003 and 2004, another 14 hectares were planted, mainly with Tempranillo and a small portion of Merlot. These vines are now over 20 years old as well.

Sustainability and precision are central in the vineyard. The work is done by hand, the vines are cultivated sustainably, and the grapes are manually harvested. In May, a green harvest is carried out to enhance the concentration and quality of the remaining grapes. In autumn, the grapes are hand-picked and transported in small crates to the winery.

In 2003, construction began on a new, fully climate-controlled wine cellar of nearly 1,400 m², where a constant temperature of 12 to 16 °C is maintained. Upon arrival, the grapes are destemmed and crushed, followed by a 15-day fermentation and maceration with native yeasts. All wines also undergo malolactic fermentation. For the Astrales, this fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, while for the Astrales Christina and Luma cuvées, it takes place in wooden barrels.

Aging takes place in oak: Astrales matures for 18 to 24 months in a mix of French (80%) and American (20%) oak. Christina and Luma are aged exclusively in French oak, with Luma also undergoing sur lie aging for 24 months.

Thanks to this meticulous approach, Bodegas Los Astrales produces wines of exceptional quality year after year – powerful, refined, and among the very best that Ribera del Duero has to offer.