Who is Novartis? It’s one of the largest pharmaceutical companies around. It was formed by the merger of Sandoz, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant, with Ciba-Geigy. How and why into the wine business? In 1988, Novartis acquired a Spanish seed company in the Duero Valley in Sardon del Duero. It became very obvious that the seed business was a no-go here…and so what to do with the property. The land surrounded the former Santa Maria Retuerta Abbey, whch was founded in 1143, and, yes, was home to multiple vineyards. However, there was a problem. The Spanish seed company had uprooted all the vineyards and not one vine was left when Novartis arrived on the scene.

Next step? You guessed it. Joan-Josep Abó, a Barcelona lawyer and a close friend of the Novartis chairman, together with Belgian-born Pascal Delbeck, decided to convert the land into a world-class wine "domaine" that would be called Abadia Retuerta. In addition to being one of Abó’s close friends, Delbeck had made his mark as winemaker at St.-Émilion’s Château Ausone for 19 years and was currently revitalizing Château Belair. To get the project underway, Novartis provided 17 million dollars.

Abadia Retuerta’s land was closely scrutinized prior to the initial plantings and they came up with over two dozen markedly different crus, along the lines of Burgundy’s climats…and the vineyards were accordingly replanted. Sixty-five percent of the vineyards were planted with the Duero’s main grape, Tempranillo, and the rest to Cabernet Sauvignon, smaller amounts of Merlot and experimental plots of Petit Verdot and Syrah. The new winery, built according to Delbeck’s specifications, is located close to the Duero, and, after visiting it, can best be described as super state-of-the-art.

The Rivola 2001 is a good wine to introduce yourself to Abadia Retuerta. It’s 60% Tempranillo and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 10 months in French and American oak and bottled unfiltered. The color is deep ruby with beautiful aromatics of black fruit, black currants, earth and hints of smoke. The richness continues on the palate with a medium to full body and good acid and tannin levels. The finish is persistent with flavors similar to those noted initially. It’s a great buy and should be enjoyed with lamb and also heartier grilled fish in a pinch.

—Dr. Marty