Bodegas Antidoto Ribera del Duero 2025

A combination of Chinon and Spain

Bertrand Sourdais grew up among the vines in Chinon, but first made a name for himself as a winemaker in Spain. He now combines the best of both worlds with a winery in Chinon (Domaine de Pallus) and two in Ribera del Duero (Antídoto and Dominio de Es).

Sourdais is no man of the beaten path. He makes his Ribera del Duero wines in Soria, the most remote and difficult-to-access province of the region, sandwiched between two mountain ranges. The weather conditions there are quite extreme, with a risk of hail and spring frost. The plots with old vines are scattered and located at high altitudes. Not a wine region for large-scale production, therefore, but all the more so for wines with character.

Bertrand harvests the Tinto Fino (the local name for the Tempranillo grape) for this Antídoto predominantly in Soto de San Esteban, in no fewer than 550 different plots located at an altitude of around 950 meters. The vines are between thirty and one hundred years old and are planted on sandy gravel soils, which gives the wine aroma and supple tannins.

Following manual harvesting, fermentation and aging take place for eight months in French oak barrels, 15% of which are new. This results in an intense, characterful, and elegant Ribera del Duero that is smooth and fresh enough to drink on its own, but certainly full and powerful enough for the table.