Bodegas Amézola de la Mora
The Amézola de la Mora family vineyard originated in the 19th century. Already then it enjoyed a good reputation in large parts of the country. With the appearance of the dreaded phylloxera plague, however, production unfortunately came to an end. In 1986, Iñigo Amézola de la Mora brought the family estate back to life.
María and Cristina, the daughters of Iñigo Amézola, who unfortunately died too early, now lead the family estate into the future as a young generation with gentle innovation, without neglecting the deeply rooted traditions. Torremontalbo is the name of the hamlet at a crossroads with as many as four houses. The bodega, not far away, is connected to an underground tunnel. 60 hectares of vineyards spread over at 600 to 700 metres above sea level around the bodega, which is built on a gentle hill. The view sweeps over the wide valley of the Ebro, from the Rioja Alta to the Rioja Alavesa on the other side of the river.
Red wines from Bodegas Amézola de la Mora
from Bodegas Amézola de la Mora
The soils in the Rioja Alta are predominantly loamy-calcareous. The subsoil contains sand and large chunks of lime, as one soil profile showed. They serve as water reservoirs for the long dry summer periods. In winter, the Cantabrian Mountains in the north protect from cold northern winds. Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo, some of which are over 40 years old, are harvested by hand and traditionally vinified in steel tanks without temperature regulation. The pressing is carried out gently with old basket presses. The ageing takes place mainly in used barrels. The results are delicate, traditional, classically elegant Riojas, which only leave the winery after longer storage in barrels and bottles than required by law, so that they do not require further storage in your cellar and are immediately ready to drink.
Producer
Cascina Barisél / Franco Penna
With just 5 hectares, Franco Penna's winery is small but exquisite. The estate near Canelli, east of Alba, comprises only the very best south-facing sites with calcareous soils. Franco's father Enrico, who bought the estate in the 1960s, obviously knew what he was doing.
Paladin
The vineyards of the Paladin winery are located in the border area between the Eastern Veneto and Friuli, where wine was already being grown in Roman times. At that time, the wines of this area were shipped in amphorae from the nearby sea ports to Rome, as reported by the historian Pliny.
Château Fourcas-Borie
The Bruno Borie family, which is also the owner of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 2e Cru Classé in Saint Julien), acquired the Château Fourcas Dumont in 2009 and from then on named it Château Fourcas-Borie.