Location, location, location. Jaro's vineyards are surrounded by Pesquera to the East and Hacienda Monasterio to the West, making this plot of land one of the most sought after in Ribera del Duero, as Vega Sicilia is less than a kilometre away! Bodegas y Viñedos del Jaro was the first winery in the HEBE Project, created by an offshoot of the Osborne family of Jerez; and the area is surrounded by a small wood of hundred year old holm-oaks ('Jaros'), which lend their name to the winery. The main aim of the enterprise is to achieve terroir expression in each of their wines; and to this end it is interesting when visiting to scrutinize the multi-coloured property chart, which allows one to see exactly what is grown in each section of their impressive 108 hectare hillside vineyard, why, and to which style it is destined. The winemaker - young, passionate, committed and ex Mauro - is Álvaro Trigueros, who has just 2 vintages here under his belt, is softlyspoken but determined and promises to be a star; while the winery is located on a south-facing slope, with the estate - at an altitude range of between 800m and 745m, lies between the hills and Duero river, running along three different terraces, created by the river's flow in ancient times. Within this, there are different slopes with a variety of orientations, making it very complex and difficult to work; and the property is, typically, influenced by extreme winter temperatures.
Álvaro only uses grapes from the estate; and these have been/are continuously and obsessively analysed in order to meticulously classify the whole estate - with each plot vinified separately and subsequently blended or not, depending on the aim of each final cuvée. The range's 'entry point' is Sembro, produced with the property's youngest vines and aged minimally to produce a delightfully scented and balanced wine that is easy and pleasurable to drink. Jaros, on the other hand, is a headier, fuller, tighter, richer chocolate/vanilla tinged assemblage created from wines of various vineyards with more oak; while the imposing, broody, minerally, yet also zippy and slightly balsamic Chafandín - Red Wine of the Year at the 2006 Wine Challenge - is made from just 3 plots of vineyard, spending some 16 months in select, new 300 litre French oak barriques. Star of the show, however - remortgage your house and stock up - is the biblically named Sed de Caná (Canaan's thirst).
This is made in only exceptional vintages from the fruit of a single plot that produces less than 1800 kg per hectare. Fermentation is in 500L barrels of French oak, with malolactic fermentation in the same cask, followed by at least 12 months in new French oak, only to subsequently return to the barrels it fermented in for a further 6 months; and the result is an opulent, expressive, juicy black-fruit scented offering replete with well judged, spicy oak, and more than a hint of chocolate.
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