Villota

Selvanevada

wine-1-map

2021 Vintage

91pts

Review Logo

2021 Vintage

90pts

Review Logo

2021 Vintage

91pts

Review Logo

Denominacion de Origen

D.O.Ca. Rioja

Location

Laserna, a small village located on the Ebro River in the municipality of Laguardia, in the province of Álava. Rioja Alavesa sub-zone.

Varietal

86% Tempranillo, 6% Graciano, 4% Mazuelo, 2% Garnacha

Vineyards

Finca San Rafael, owned and cultivated by the Villota family since the 1930’s. The vineyard is distributed on three terraces that slope gently towards the Ebro River.

Year(s) Planted

1930-1990

Viticulture

Traditional dry-farmed manual viticulture, without the use of systemic herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, or fertilizers. Vines cultivated primarily “en vaso” or goblet style head trained vines.

Soils

Primarily of calcareous iron-rich clay, with a high percentage of limestone, and with a deep reddish color. Thousands of years ago the site was covered by the river, and over the years it deposited canto rodado, or galets, across the whole vineyard. Today, certain parcels are completely covered by an impermeable surface of canto rodado, or rolled river stones.

Climate

Continental Mediterranean, with a slight Atlantic influence which is moderated by the Sierra de Cantabria. Average annual temperature is 13.8 C (56.8 F) and annual rainfall is around 500 l/m2.

Winemaking

Rigorous double sorting at the winery (before and after destemming). The grapes ferment spontaneously in stainless steel tanks with temperature control and remontage. The Tempranillo and Graciano are co-vinified to favor co-pigmentation while the Garnacha and Mazuelo are vinified separately. Gentle press in a vertical basket press. MLF in stainless steel tanks.

Aging

The wine is aged for 6 months in French oak barrique (2nd and 3rd use) and a further four months in bottle before release.

Comments

Viñas del Lentisco – Villota is owned, operated, and founded by Carmen Pérez-Garrigues and her father Ricardo Pérez- Villota, the fourth and third generations of the Pérez-Villota family, a line of growers that have been rooted to the San Rafael estate in Laserna, Laguardia on a meander of the Ebro River since 1930. From the early 1940's through 1973, the Pérez-Villota family were CVNE's top grape supplier at Viña Real. In 1973, the Villota family cofounded Viñedos del Contino, Rioja's first single estate winery with José Ángel Madrazo and CVNE. The parternship lasted until 2013, when the Villota family broke off, taking the historic family estate with them, and founded their own winery under the Villota brand on this historic plot of land.