Description
Remirez de Ganuza, an oenological paradise in La Rioja
The vineyards are made up of more than eighty hectares of Tempranillo, Graciano, Viura and Malvasia. They are spread over six towns in the Sierra Cantabria: Samaniego, Leza, Elciego, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Laguardia and Ábalos, in Rioja Alavesa. In all of them, the habitat, the microclimate, the orientation of the plots, the low productivity of the vines and the age of the vineyard have been taken into account for their selection, with the average age of the vines being fifty years. This large area of land allows them to be self-sufficient in grapes of the highest quality.
Board Characteristics
Store: Own Vineyards, in Bodegas Fernando Remírez de Ganuza, Samaniego (Rioja Alavesa).
DOCa. The Rioja
Grade: 14%
Variety: 70% Viura, 20% Malvasía, 10% Garnacha Blanca
CATA's notes: The color is bright, deep yellow.
On the nose: A nose that shows abundant yellow plums, pollen, yeast, beeswax and honey with a hint of citrus.
On the palate: Complex wine that is felt on the light palate, with good acidity and framed by a spicy mineral finish.
Operating temperature: 8-12ºC
Preparation: The vineyard, formed in a traditional supported glass, facing south west, is located in San Vicente de la Sonsierra in a border area of cultivation (600 meters).
A manual harvest is carried out in boxes of 12 kilograms.
Subsequently, the grapes are placed in a cold room (between 4 and 6 ºC). Selected on tables and made with flower must (from unpressed grapes) extracted by means of a rotor tank.
The wine has been kept on its lees for 11 months of aging in new 225-liter French oak barrels. The batonage (lees work) is practiced to achieve greater complexity by turning the barrels.
The vineyards are made up of more than eighty hectares of Tempranillo, Graciano, Viura and Malvasia. They are spread over six towns in the Sierra Cantabria: Samaniego, Leza, Elciego, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Laguardia and Ábalos. In all of them, the habitat, the microclimate, the orientation of the plots, the low productivity of the vines and the age of the vineyard have been taken into account for their selection, with the average age of the vines being fifty years. This large area of land allows us to self-supply grapes of the highest quality.
Pairing: At Made in Spain Gourmet we recommend it with grilled vegetables, with game birds, Highly recommended with baked fish, and also with 100% Iberian ham.
A traditional winery with avant-garde production
Will find Remirez de Ganuza in the center of Samaniego, a beautiful medieval village at the foot of the Sierra de Toloño. Of medieval origin, today it preserves its appearance as a fortified town visible in many of its buildings and especially in the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción from the XNUMXth century, built next to one of the four towers that defended the town.
La Remirez de Ganuza winery As we said before, it is located in the center of Samaniego, Álava. It is made up of a block of buildings, old mansions of the town, it is made up of modern reinforced concrete structures covered with old masonry, thus integrating into the traditional local architecture.
Around a large central patio crossed by a natural water channel, the different buildings that structure the winery are dedicated to the different phases of winemaking, such as the barrel area, the bottle racks, the cold rooms or the selection.
The traditional architecture of the winery, in which the interior roof made up of centuries-old oak beams stands out, contrasts with one of the most avant-garde and innovative production methods of the moment.
La Rioja Alavesa: the elite of La Rioja wines
Rioja Alavesa is classified as a sub-zone in the Rioja Qualified Denomination of Origin. It has 13.500 hectares of vineyards and several hundred wineries, which result in an annual average of around 40 million liters of wine.
The area especially produces red wines with general specific characteristics, such as a bright and lively color, a fine aroma, a fruity taste and a pleasant palate. These peculiarities are due to the clayey-calcareous soils of the area, which are excellent for the vines to absorb the necessary moisture. The climate and the location of the vineyards also contribute to its quality, behind the Sierra de Toloño, which protects the vines from the cold north winds and allows the vines to take better advantage of the heat.
The reds are the most representative wines of the region and are made with the Tempranillo varieties (around 79% of the total is produced from this grape), Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano.
The young or red wines of the year are mostly made using the traditional method of carbonic maceration, in which whole clusters are fermented in a 'lake' for between seven and ten days. Once free of skins and scratches, they go to the vats where they will finish fermentation.
For their part, crianza, reserva and gran reserva wines are made using the Bordeaux or destemming process. It consists of breaking the grape, removing the stems and incubating the must with its paste for seven days. After several fermentations, they go to the barrels for aging. It will be the time spent in the barrel and in the bottle that will make the difference between crianzas, reservas and gran reservas.
Due to the fact that rosé and white wines are increasingly appreciated both inside and outside our borders, winemakers and oenologists work on the production of quality wines from these varieties, in a bid to approach all markets.
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