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
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.
Château Biac
Sometimes life is full of surprises. The Lebanese Asseily family experienced this first-hand when they became the owners of Château Biac as if by accident in 2006. They regularly spent their summer holidays near Biac, but never would they have dreamt that they would own and manage this wonderful property themselves one day. It’s a fascinating story that Tony and Youmna Asseily are happy to share over a glass of their wine.
Weingut Rings
Weingut Rings, part of the Palatinate’s vineyard premier league, lies embedded in the sun-drenched Palatinate, right in the middle of the Freinsheim winegrowing district. For more than a decade, the new generation of the Rings family has been passionately concentrating on the ecological production of high quality dry wines. The hallmarks of Weingut Rings are well-balanced, dense wines with pronounced character and great cellar potential.