Villota

Selvanevada Blanco

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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

Viura (91%), Tempranillo Blanco (6%), Garnacha Blanca (3%)

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 calcareous clay with low levels of organic material. The surface of the soil is littered with large pebbles and 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

The grapes are destemmed and sorted. Pressed and after a brief cold settling, the must ferments in stainless steel tank. No malolactic. The Viura is racked into barrel for sur lie aging.

Aging

Six months sur lie, the Viura in 225L & 500L French oak barrel, the Tempranillo Blanco & Garnacha Blanca in stainless steel.

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. In 1973, the Villota family cofounded Viñedos del Contino, Rioja's first single estate winery with CVNE. The partnernship 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.