# Dominio de Atauta, Valdegatiles (2016)

- **Producer:** Bodegas Dominio de Atauta
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Tempranillo
- **Region:** Castilla y León, Spain
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 15.0%
- **Average price:** €125
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, violet, vanilla, toast, chocolate, smoke, cloves, leather, tobacco, forest floor, mushroom

## About this wine

Dominio de Atauta, Valdegatiles is a highly limited, single-vineyard red wine produced in the unique, high-altitude Atauta Valley of Ribera del Duero. The vineyard, Pago de Valdegatiles, is situated at 930 meters above sea level on a north-facing slope. It features pre-phylloxera, ungrafted vines that are over 120 years old, planted on deep red clay soils. This specific terroir acts as a natural water sponge, allowing for a slow maturation process that imparts a distinctive freshness and structural power to the wine. Founded in 1999, Bodega Dominio de Atauta focuses on preserving the ancient viticultural heritage of this isolated valley, which was largely spared from phylloxera due to its extreme climate and sandy-clay soils.

## Interesting facts

- Only 1,515 numbered bottles of the 2016 vintage were produced from a tiny 1.09-hectare plot divided into 11 micro-plots.
- The wine comes from pre-phylloxera, ungrafted vines (pie franco) with an average age of 120 years.
- The winery is built directly into the rock on four different gravity levels to avoid pumping the grapes and wine.

## Food pairing

This powerful, full-bodied red wine requires robust, structurally matching dishes. The high level of fine-grained tannins cuts through the rich fats of roasted meats like suckling lamb or kid goat, while the vibrant acidity balances the earthy depth of wild mushrooms and black truffles. The intense concentration of the wine demands equally intense, savory flavors.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process for Valdegatiles is characterized by minimal intervention and gravity-fed operations across four levels. Grapes are manually harvested in 11-kg boxes and undergo double sorting (bunches and grapes) before being destemmed but not crushed. Fermentation takes place in open stainless steel tanks of 1,000L to 1,100L using 100% indigenous wild yeasts, preceded by cold maceration at 10°C. The wine is aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, consisting of 20% new oak and 80% second-use barrels. Viticulture and cellar operations, including rackings and bottling, are aligned with the biodynamic calendar.