Raúl Tamayo & Rafael García

Raúl Tamayo and Rafael García, winemakers from Ribera del Duero, situated in Burgos at Nava de Roa, first crossed paths in 2001 while studying agricultural engineering. Their shared passion for winemaking led them to pursue a degree in enology in 2006. That same year, they began crafting wine in their garage using grapes from their own vineyards.

By 2011, both Raúl and Rafael were involved in separate projects in Rioja and Ribera. It was during this time that they launched their own brands, Naluar and Acediano. Despite their busy schedules, they continued to work at renowned wineries — Rafael at Bodegas Trus and Raúl at Bodegas Proelio and Nivarius. What sets Raúl and Rafael apart from other winemakers is their dedication to their old vineyards of Tinta Fina. They focus on the quality of their grapes rather than marketing. They use larger 500-liter barrels to minimize the influence of oak on their wine.

They cultivate a total of 4 hectares, spread across 9 distinct vineyards — including Acediano, El Espaldón, El Cerral, El Torrubio, and La Médica. They produce three wines in total. Acediano and El Espaldón each yield a single-vineyard wine, while Naluar is crafted as a blend from the remaining plots. Each vineyard requires a tailored approach based on its unique conditions. Altitudes range from 750 to 830 meters, and the continental climate with its significant variation between daytime and nighttime temperatures encourages slow and even ripening. This results in wines with natural freshness, balanced structure, and clear varietal character.

Raúl and Rafael choose not to classify their wines by aging time, as they believe the true character of each wine comes from the uniqueness of the grape rather than the time spent in oak. They work exclusively with used oak barrels and prefer 500-liter sizes over the traditional 225-liter barrels to ensure a more subtle influence of wood on the wine.

No two vintages are ever the same, which is why Raúl and Rafael don’t aim to create uniform or repetitive wines. They trust in the work done in each vineyard and focus on expressing the character of the vintage in every bottle. Each vineyard is its own world, shaped by factors beyond human control. The only path forward is to listen to what nature offers each year and interpret it with care and understanding.

Their exceptional work has earned them high praise from notable wine critics such as Tim Atkin, Robert Parker, Guía Peñín, and Wine Advocate.