Lurton aims to produce one of Spain’s greatest whites in Rueda

François Lurton, scion of the renowned Bordeaux winemaking family, is aiming to make ‘one of the best white wines in Spain’ at his newly opened Campo Eliseo winery in Rueda.

The new Campo Eliseo Rueda estate has been developed as François Lurton seeks to grow his company’s white wine offering (Photo: Campo Eliseo)

Working with Michel and Dany Rolland, Lurton founded the original Campo Eliseo estate in Toro 15 years ago. Now he has expanded his facilities into neighbouring Rueda as he looks to develop his white wine portfolio.

“I would like to produce one of the best white wines of Spain and to create another great growth of Rueda to pull up this denomination,” he told db.

Lurton has been instrumental in raising the profile of the Rueda region over the past decade, with investment in the white wine-growing region steadily increasing during that time.

“Rueda is exploding all over Spain, in the world, especially in North America and the north of Europe,” Luton said. “This is due to the very special expression of Verdejo, which is unique to Rueda.”

The construction of the Campo Eliseo Rueda the winery was completed in this April this year, with the official opening taking place on 9 September.

The winery is on a refurbished 17th-century farmstead in the village of La Seca in Rueda. Lurton constructed a new building behind the estate’s original Castilian walls, ideally equipped for the vinification of premium white wines. 

Campo Eliseo Verdejo vines in Rueda (Photo: Campo Eliseo)

Both the Toro and Rueda estates of Campo Eliseo are managed by Lurton, together with Dany and Michel Rolland. A total of 18 hectares are under cultivation in Toro, which produce exclusively red wine from vineyards between 50 and 70 years old. 

In Rueda, only white wines are produced, with a current cultivated area of six hectares under vine. Here, around 60% of the vineyards are between 15 and 35 years old.

The estate houses an impressive system of tunnels 10m below ground. Even when the temperature outside climbs past 40°C, the cellar remains at a near-constant 12°C – and never grows colder than 8°C in the winter, meaning there is no cost required to regulate the temperature in the cellar in this very hot region.

The winery has also recently opened itself up to tourism. A dedicated team has been hired to offer visitors guided tours through the historic estate, its impressive cellar and surrounding vineyards, with their enviable view of the Duero River, as well as offering tastings of the estae’s white wine range. The estate also boasts a wine shop. 

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François Lurton represents the fifth generation of the winemaking dynasty that has been producing wine in Bordeaux since 1897. After gaining experience in the family’s domaines, as well as elsewhere in the world, he founded a consulting firm together with his brother, Jacques, which took the pair to regions around the world – Moldavia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Australia and Argentina – to advise wine estates. 

The pair began to develop their own wines in Argentina, then in Spain, Chile, France, Australia and Portugal. Their career paths diverged in 2007, when François Lurton became the majority shareholder of what became François Lurton SA. In collaboration with Dany and Michel Rolland, Lurton founded Campo Eliseo Toro in 2001. Now Campo Eliseo Rueda has been added to the his portfolio.

After having bought out his brother’s shares almost 10 years ago, François Lurton has managed the group of estates by himself. Aiming to produce wines that can be appreciated as points of reference for their grape varieties and places of origin, Lurton has in Rueda introduced techniques that “follow the ways of nature more closely”, having converted all vineyards to organic or biodynamic viticulture, as well as introducing the use of concrete eggs for the fermentation and ageing of some of his wines. 

Rueda is located in the north of Spain. Bound by two red wine regions – Toro in the northwest and Ribera del Duero to the east – it is a region that traditionally produces white wines from the varieties Verdejo, Viura, Sauvignon Blanc and Palomino. Extremely pebbly soils at an elevation of from 600–800 metres typically yield mineral-driven wines with refreshing acidity.

Winemaking in Rueda
Along with the practice of organic and biodynamic viticulture, Campo Eliseo Rueda follows a careful, minimal-intervention approach to winemaking. Grapes are harvested by hand and then cooled for 12 hours in the press house before further processing.

Concrete eggs in the new cellar at Campo Eliseo (Photo: Campo Eliseo)

Pressing takes place at ground level; after a period of settling in stainless steel tanks, the pure juice flows without the use of pumps into the subterranean cellar to begin fermentation. Here, concrete eggs, barriques and large wooden fermenters are used. Fermentation and élevage take place without temperature control. 

Verdejo, with its fresh acidity, herbal and citrus notes, and good natural structure, was seen as a particular challenge by Lurton, who was unsatisfied both with the historical style of Verdejo, which is often vinified in an rich, oxidative manner, and the modern ‘streamlined’ version.

It became Lurton’s ambition to accentuate the elegant nature of the variety, and so, Lurton said, “work in the vineyard and in the cellar are both focused entirely upon achieving this goal”.

The oenologist believes the key to producing great Verdejo is to use the best quality grapes at the peak of ripeness and long ageing in new oak. “Verdejo is a very ‘phenolic’ variety – it contains a lot of tannins in the skin – so, as with red grapes, great ripeness and transformation with oak are necessary,” he explained.

The wines
Campo Eliseo Rueda produces two Verdejo wines from different vineyard sites in Rueda: Campo Eliseo Verdejo and Campo Alegre Verdejo.

For the estate’s Campo Eliseo Verdejo, the grapes were harvested from the 35-year-old-plus ‘La Seca Vieja’ vineyard, which grows on a north-facing plateau close to the village of La Seca.

The relatively cool temperatures at the site allows the slow development of sugars in the grapes. Another parcel, some 20 years old, is situated on the Adaja River, with clay soils underneath its sandy surface layer. Here the grapes develop a tougher skin than usual, offering a more intense aromatic profile.

The wine is fermented in barriques and matured for nine to 11 months on the lees. 

Campo Alegre Verdejo comes for the most part from a parcel of vines southeast of La Seca. Here the soils are sandy, with pebbles on the surface and veins of limestone in the subsoil.

The wine is fermented in equal measure in concrete eggs, French barriques, stainless steel tanks and egg-shaped wooden fermenters.