Buy wine from Hacienda Monasterio at Corney & Barrow

Welcome to Corney & Barrow Login

Danish-born, Bordeaux-trained Peter Sisseck was dispatched to Spain in 1990, to the, then, obscure area, Ribera del Duero. He was there to work on a short-term project which, subsequently, enjoyed much praise – Hacienda Monasterio. A victim of his own success, Peter found himself in total charge.
Hacienda Monasterio is situated between Pesquera and Vega Sicilia, both of which have done much to enhance the reputation of Spanish red wines, in general, and those of the Ribera del Duero in particular. Hacienda is a blend of 65% Tempranillo (Tinto del Pais) 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Malbec. Peter has managed to produce a wine which is unmistakably Spanish but which has the elegance and finesse one would normally associate with fine claret. Add to that an undoubted potential for ageing and Hacienda presents a real tour de force, concentrated and seductive.

Photo: Peter Sisseck

Key to the character of Ribera del Duero wines is the high altitude of the vineyards and, consequently, a marked difference between day- and night-time temperatures. The vines have the opportunity to shut down overnight, conserving their energy and enabling them to take advantage of the soil’s nutrients, in a measured way, during the day. For quality wine to be produced, corners cannot be cut and since labour-intensive vine husbandry is of fundamental importance, Ribera del Duero wines will never be inexpensive. The region does however produce characterful, inimitable wines which offer good value for money and which are true to the region.

Although top quality had been produced in Ribera del Duero since the latter part of the nineteenth century – most notably Vega Sicilia – the region was not officially recognised as a Denomenacion de Origen (DO) until 1982, launched in a market dominated by tried and tested Rioja. Despite the initial exuberance over official recognition, commercial reality soon took its toll and the region struggled to make a name for itself. Hacienda Monasterio is just one of many wineries in the region which rather lost its way in this period but it enjoyed a surge of investment which, allied to Peter Sisseck’s talent, brought it to the world’s attention.

The 113 hectare estate lies between the celebrated vineyards of Pesquera and Vega Sicilia, with seventy hectares put down to vines, planted at 4,000 per hectare. Production is strictly limited, which helps the annual challenge of the grapes attaining maturity. The grapes are hand-picked and transported in small plastic boxes, to prevent any premature grape crushing. The winery is state-of-the-art and purpose built. The grapes are rigorously sorted on arrival with only the best selected. Fermentation is natural, with indigenous yeasts and the malolactic fermentation is in Allier oak, 40 to 50% of which is new. The wine is fined with egg white after twelve months and generally bottled after eighteen, the exact timing being dictated by the vintage. The finished wine is allowed twelve months' maturation in bottle prior to release.

The wines of Hacienda Monasterio show exuberant fruit allied to a classical structure.