Losada Vinos de Finca
Altos de Losada Vino de Villa Valtuille – 2017
Region: Spain - Castilla y Leon
Losada Vinos de Finca
Aiming to make elegant wine in Bierzo, Losada Vinos de Finca sought out old Bierzo vineyards traditionally planted on clay soils. Losada was established on the outskirts of the village of Pieros, on the St James pilgrimage route, midway between Cacabelos and Villafranca del Bierzo. The company also owns vineyard plots, planted mainly on clay soils round Valtuille de Arriba, where grapes for Altos de Losada are produced. The philosophy is to extract to maximum expression from the region’s terroir via the painstaking selection of estates and vineyards. Complexity and elegance are the grassroots of the Losada Vinos de Finca project.
The Wine
Vineyard Profile
17 small estate vineyards in Valtuille de Arriba, D. O. Bierzo.
- Altitude: 480 – 600 meters
- Exposure: South
- Soils: Poor soils with high red clay content on steep slopes
- Vine Age: 40 – 60 years
- Yield: 4000 kg/ha
Harvest Notes
- Hand harvested into 20 kg crates
- Each plot vinified separately
- Destemmed & lightly crushed
- Fermented in stainless steel tanks using only indigenous yeasts with periodic pumpovers
- Malolactic fermentation in new 400 liter French oak barrels
- Aged 15 months in barrel
Winemaker's Notes
Inky violet. Fresh, highly aromatic bouquet of red and dark berries, rose, smoky minerals and Asian spices. Sweet, sappy and focused, with vibrant raspberry and blackberry flavors and a jolt of white pepper. Tangy minerals add complexity to the long, focused, impressively pure finish.
Wine Summary
100% Mencía; alcohol: 14.5%; 17 small estate vineyards in Valtuille de Arriba, D. O. Bierzo; 40 – 60 year old vines grown on steep clay slopes; each parcel vinified separately; hand harvested into 20 kg crates; fermented in stainless steel tanks using only indigenous yeasts, periodic pumpovers; malolactic fermentation in new 400 liter French oak barrels; aged 15 months in barrel.
Technical Information
- 100% Mencía
- Alcohol: 14.5%
Reviews
93 Points
An attractively fresh, juicy and spicy, purple-berry and plum nose with plenty of spicy, fragrant and fresh aromas. The palate has an impressively resolved, silky texture and bright, ripe dark-berry flavors. Drink or hold.
jamessuckling.com, July, 2019
92 Points
This inky purple colored Mencia from Losada is impressive. It opens with a very fragrant dark chocolate and black raspberry bouquet with hints of toasted coconut and pomegranate. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, nicely balanced, smooth and lush. The flavor profile is a bold black pepper, blackberry and red currant blend. I also detected some notes of nicely integrated oak and refined minerality along with hints of black raspberry towards the end. This is a pretty complex wine. The finish is dry and its bold flavors and moderate sticky tannins linger for quite some time. This wine would pair well with a Brazilian skirt steak with golden garlic butter.
Ken's Wine Guide, June, 2020
General Info
| COUNTRY | Spain |
| REGION | Castilla y León |
| APPELLATION | D.O. El Bierzo |
| PROPRIETORS | |
| FOUNDED | 2005 |
| WINEMAKER | Amancio Fernández Gómez |
| ANNUAL PRODUCTION | 2,500 9L cases |
| FARMING (SUSTAINABLE, ORGANIC, BIODYNAMIC) | No official certification, but farming sustainably with minimal sulphur and using organic practices as much as possible – no pesticides or fungicides. |