BODEGAS ALTOLANDON, Spain

Her mission is to craft wines that express the typicity of DO Manchuela – its vineyards, its altitude and the varieties planted. This is viticulture on the edge of what is possible: at 1,100m above sea level, the grapes experience a large diurnal range that encourages even ripening and helps to retain natural acidity. Rosalia’s vineyards are certified organic, employ only natural fertilizers and promote biodiversity by allowing chickens, sheep and pigs from the local farms to roam freely. The grapes are hand-harvested and vinified as naturally as possible with native yeasts and minimal intervention. The wines are then aged in clay amphorae and some in French oak to give them the requisite texture and complexity.

Viticulture

A wide selection of varieties are grown here such as Bobal, Malbec, Syrah, Grenache, Merlot, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Muscat Petit Grain, Petit Manseng, Viognier and white Grenache, all selected and appropriate to the soil in which they are planted. The hand-picked vineyards are at a fairly high altitude giving them the perfect conditions to produce superb quality wines. Organic methods are used to manage the vines, with natural fertilisers, leaf thinning, and green pruning just some of the ways they achieve this.

Winemaking

The wines are produced as naturally as possible using only the first press in 6000-litre inox (stainless steel) tanks, with a spontaneous alcoholic fermentation with the native yeasts. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in barrels and aged for between 8 and 24 months. The wines are stabilised naturally during the coldest months of the year. All of the red wines are aged in French oak barrels, the youngest in second use and the more complex in new oak or even clay amphora.