Why it matters
The producer
Bodegas La Horra is a red wine estate in the village of La Horra, in the Burgos province section of Ribera del Duero. It was born from an agreement between Mario Rotllant Solá, president of Bodegas Roda in Rioja, and brothers Pedro and Pablo Balbás, a family of vine growers whose connection to the village and its parcels runs back through generations. Roda brought winemaking conviction; the Balbás brothers brought 40 hectares of established vines spread across La Horra and the neighbouring municipality of Roa. Every bottle is Tinta del País, the local name for Tempranillo, and the range divides along a single axis: vine age.
The winery itself, designed by Catalan architect Carme Pinós, sits partly underground, drawing on ground-source heat exchange and passive airflow instead of industrial refrigeration. It is reportedly one of the most energy-efficient winery facilities in Spain. The same logic that shaped the vineyard deal shaped the building: a commitment to the place rather than a fast commercial play.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Ribera del Duero runs east to west across the high Castilian plateau, and La Horra sits in its northern, Burgos-province section. This is the cooler, higher-altitude end of the denomination. Altitude and latitude together push ripening later, which in Tinta del País means the grape holds more acidity than it would on the warmer, lower reaches of the DO. The estate spans both La Horra and Roa, two villages whose plots share the plateau character but sit far enough apart that vine selection and parcel sorting matter. The estate's stated aim is to make wines that are a faithful reflection of this Burgos landscape, adding freshness to the characteristic weight that old Tinta del País carries.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
All 40 hectares are farmed organically. The estate separates parcels by vine age into two distinct cuvées each year. Young and mid-age vines, roughly 25 to 30 years old, go into Corimbo. Old vines, those exceeding 70 years, go into Corimbo I. No blending across the two tiers.
In the cellar, the winemaking philosophy avoids force at every step. Corimbo I ferments spontaneously in French oak vats, then completes its malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels. It ages for 14 months in barrique, a mix of 80 percent French oak and 20 percent American oak. The oak is present long enough to integrate, but the stated intent is to keep wood in a supporting role: the fruit, the site, and the age of the vines do the talking.
Wines to know
The range in view
Corimbo is the entry wine, drawn from vines of around 25 to 30 years old. Tinta del País at this vine age produces a wine with brighter red fruit, a lighter body. The oak programme is comparable to Corimbo I in approach, but younger roots draw less from the soil.
Corimbo I is the reserve tier, sourced exclusively from parcels exceeding 70 years old. It is 100 percent Tinta del País. Spontaneous fermentation, malolactic in French oak barrels, 14 months of barrel ageing in a French-dominant mix. Old Tinta del País in northern Ribera tends toward black cherry and dark plum rather than the fresh red fruit of younger vines, with a denser mid-palate and more compact tannin. The mineral note associated with the Burgos plateau parcels shows in the reserve tier more clearly than in the entry wine. Both bottles hold the same DO and the same grape; the vine age separates the range.