THE VINEYARD: Vitola Reserva comes from vines planted on a north-facing hillside in the 70s. Its altitude and exposure to the sun allow us to produce this subtle, deep and balanced reserve wine. The vines were planted on bushes in Briones in the 1970s.
They are all located on the slopes of the hills furthest from the Ebro, less fertile than the riverside hills.
GRAPES: Tempranillo (96%) and Graciano (4%).
THE YEAR: 2019 was a low yielding vintage, mainly due to a light frost at the beginning of May and a very dry and hot spring. The weather during the harvest was perfect with long sunny days and cool nights.
2019 is a very balanced and elegant vintage in Rioja Alta with delicate fruits and ethereal wines.
WINEMAKING: Harvested by hand in small plastic crates, the grapes are transported to the sorting table where we ensure that only the perfect grapes reach the fermentation tanks. We do not carry out post-maceration, but rather a gentle and relatively short fermentation which respects the most delicate nuances of our grapes. Controlled fermentation at 26-28ºC in stainless steel tanks with several daily pumping overs. The malolactic fermentation started spontaneously and took place without problems just after the alcoholic fermentation.
AGEING: Two years of aging in 23 French and American oak barrels (30% new). Every 2 months, all the barrels were tainted to prevent oxidation.
BOTTLING: 8.425 bottles of Vitola Reserva 2019.