Barco del Corneta

Barco del Corneta – A Verdejo Renaissance

Barco del Corneta began in 2007 as a deeply personal and promising project by Beatriz Herranz (or Bea, as she’s known). Together with her mother, María Antonia, Beatriz planted Verdejo vines on a parcel of land in Cantarranas, just outside La Seca in Castilla y León, land that once belonged to her grandfather. From the very first vine, it was clear this project was rooted in heritage, but driven by a bold new vision.

The winery’s inaugural vintage in 2010 was a modest, almost underground affair. With the help of close friends, Beatriz harvested grapes by hand, loaded them into her car, and drove them to a small winery in the Sierra de Gredos where she worked at the time. The result was just one barrel (300 bottles), but it was enough to confirm her path. A year later, production doubled, and by 2013, Beatriz returned home to set up a working cellar and officially establish Barco del Corneta.

From the beginning, Bea’s mission was clear: to restore Verdejo’s reputation by crafting authentic, complex wines that stood in stark contrast to the overly aromatic, generic expressions associated with the Rueda region. She believed Verdejo could be much more structured, age-worthy, and true to its terroir.
The cornerstone of that vision is the original vineyard in Cantarranas, planted at 750 meters above sea level on a mix of sandy, siliceous sands and pebbles, with a layer of limestone beneath. Organically farmed from day one, without irrigation, and carefully managed for low yields, it offers ideal conditions for crafting focused, character-driven wines. The same minimalist philosophy extends into the cellar: spontaneous fermentation, low intervention, and aging in used French oak barrels allow the grape’s natural depth and energy to shine through.

In 2016, Beatriz partnered with longtime friend Félix Crespo, who had gained deep experience working with Verdejo at Bodegas Belondrade. Félix was there for the original 2010 harvest, and their reunion marked a new era of growth. In 2019, they moved to a new home in La Seca, a historic former pharmacy with a natural underground cellar ideal for barrel aging.

The winery now produces three main cuvées based entirely on Verdejo. Cucú is their regional, early-drinking wine made from vineyards in La Seca and Segovia, fresh, bright, and easy to enjoy. Barco del Corneta, their flagship, is a single-vineyard bottling from the original 2010 planting and a pure expression of the estate’s philosophy. At the top is Páramos del Infierno La Sillería, sourced from a pre-phylloxera, sandy-soiled plot over 100 years old in the village of Alcazarén, an electrifying, mineral-rich Verdejo of remarkable depth and clarity.

Beyond Verdejo, Beatriz and Félix have begun to explore the potential of other native grapes. They produce small quantities of white wines from Palomino and Viura (under the Páramos del Infierno series), and a single red wine: Prapetisco, made from the rare Juan García variety, grown in old vines from the remote and rugged Arribes del Duero on the border with Portugal. Their Judas (Viura) and Las Envidias (Palomino) are creative expressions that pay homage to other Spanish regions like Rioja and Jerez, offering entirely new dimensions to the winery’s range.

Over a decade since it began, Barco del Corneta stands as one of Spain’s most inspiring stories in wine. Beatriz and Félix are still learning the mysteries of Verdejo every day, and we’re proud to accompany them on this journey, bringing their extraordinary wines to Israel.

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