Hacienda Monasterio is a beautiful 160 hectare estate in the Ribera del Duero.  Located between Pesquera and Vega Sicila's Valbuena de Duero, it is in a prime location on Ribera's "Golden Mile".  The estate originally belonged to the Lecanda family, who were also the first owners of Vega Sicilia. In the early 1990's it was purchased by Carlos del Rios from the renowned Tio Pepe sherry family.

Del Rios has invested heavily in the estate, hiring a phenomenally accomplished team to oversee its operation. The spectacular new winery was designed by Philippe Maziéres, whose previous projects include Châteaux Margaux, Yquem and Prieure Lichine.  The winemaking team of Peter Sisseck and Carlos de la Fuente have been with Monasterio since its inception. While Peter Sisseck is of course most famous for his cult Ribera del Duero wine Pingus, he devotes the same care and attention to Hacienda Monasterio. The farming is organic; all vineyard waste (pruning material, stalks and marc) is composted and returned to the soil.

The 78 hectares of vines on the property are planted on gentle south-facing slopes. The vine density of 4000 plants per hectare is very high for the region, where the norm is about 2200.  The wines are based on Tinta Fino (the local clone of Tempranillo) with small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot and Malbec rounding out the blends depending on the vintage. The vines are hand harvested; only ambient native yeasts are used in fermentation. Malolactic fermentation and aging both take place in French Oak barriques. The wines are beautifully polished examples of Ribera del Duero terroir. They are supremely drinkable, richly textured wines with exceptional vitality. If you can resist the urge to drink them they will age very gracefully.