History Finca Villacreces
This magnificent estate has a spectacular location on the banks of the Douro River, just beside the legendary Vega Sicilia. It is part of Quintanilla de Onésimo, in Valbuena de Duero. In the 18th century, its owner lost it to the owner of Quintanilla, at a gambling house. But the estate’s history is much older: as soon as the 13th century, parish registers mentioned vines planted at this place. In the second half of the 14th century, there was a small hermitage above it, where a certain Pedro de Villacreces retired. This hermit gave its name to the whole estate. In the course of the 20th century, the estate passed into the hands of the Cuadrado family. Pedro (one of the four Cuadrado brothers) perceived the revival of the Spanish wines, and especially that of Ribera del Duero; so he decided to make wine himself, but on a small scale. In 1985, he planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as new Tinto Fino vines. He made his first vintage in 1994, with the help of the famous Danish oenologist Peter Sisseck, who lived nearby. It was a small harvest (9,000 bottles) but top quality. By the way, the first Pingus was made in the small cellar of Villacreces. In 2003, ageing Pedro decided to sell the estate. The new owner was the Anton family, from Vitoria (Basque country). In less than 4 years, the Antons restored the whole estate, had a new winery built, and gave back its lustre to the old mansion. In spite of its small size, it is now quite an impressive sight. Previously, a large part of the production was sold, but since the Anton family took the helm, the entire harvest has been bottled under their own label. The creation of wines such as Pruno, Nebro, and Specimen has resulted in a full-fledged range of high-quality Tempranillo!