Cellar Profile
Bodegas Alvia is a boutique, artisanal winery in the Rioja Alta region of north eastern Spain, producing wine from century-old estate vineyards, using traditional, handmade methods and organic-friendly practices.
Region
Rioja is Spain’s oldest and most important region. Located in the country’s northeast, it has a long and rich history that dates to Roman times. Rioja is made up of three distinct sub-zones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Baja. All are fantastic for viticulture, sheltered by mountains to the north and west, which offer protection from the wet Atlantic influence. The climate here is significantly more moderate compared to much of the rest of Spain, allowing for even, long growing seasons that result in fresh, terroir-driven wines. Rioja Alta is home to the greatest concentration of old Tempranillo and Garnacha vines in the region. Soils are mostly calcareous clay, ideally suited to quality viticulture and producing wines with great aging ability. The higher altitude here means grapes ripen slowly, leading to elegance, balance and complexity in the bottle. The best Rioja Alta wines are well structured, with a smoky character and subtle aromatic of cigar box and forest floor.
Vineyard
Bodegas Alvia manages more than 30 hectares of vineyards scattered in different locations around the Sierra Cantabria mountain range, where they are influenced by an Atlantic climate and sheltered from the cold north winds. The grapes for this wine are sourced from Tempranillo vines planted between 1905 and 1920 on clay-calcareous soils. The old vines are low-yielding, which results in a higher concentration of flavors and aromas in the smaller quantity of grapes they produce.
Winemaking
Grapes are hand-harvested and hand-sorted before being destemmed, gently crushed and and transferred to steel tank for a three day pre-ferment cold soak to extract colour and complexity. Fermented via wild yeasts under strict temperature control with daily punchdowns. Vertically pressed, by hand, into 100% new oak barrels where the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and ages for 18 months.
Tasting Notes
"Deep-red-violet in the glass, this wine has a nose of black cherry, violet and leather. It opens on the palate with eucalyptus and clove notes that are accompanied by flavors of pomegranate, cherry, leather and caramel. There is a nice play between bold acidity and firm tannins, both of which extend into a drawn-out, dark-chocolate finish." – 94 Points, Wine EnthusiastTo be enjoyed on a special, festive occasion. Pair with hearty, grilled/roasted red meats: steak, rack of lamb, prime rib.
Varieties
Tempranillo is an early ripening variety that tends to thrive in chalky vineyard soils such as those of the Ribera del Duero and Rioja regions of Spain. In Portugal, where the grape is known as Tinto Roriz and Aragonez, it is blended with other varieties to produce Port. In 2015, Tempranillo was the fourth most widely-planted wine grape variety worldwide; 87% of these plantings are in Spain. Depending on vineyard age and mesoclimate in which the grapes are grown, these wines will have flavour profiles ranging from strawberries, blackcurrants and cherries to prunes, chocolate and tobacco.