Vina Amalia Castropol

Vineyard: Located in Tricio, West of Logroño. The vineyard is owned by a friend of David but managed and harvested and vinified by the team of Bodegas Bhilar. On average, the vines were planted almost 100 years old on sand and red clay soils.

Appellation: DOCa Rioja (subregion: Rioja Alta)

Varieties: 100% old vines Garnacha

Harvest and Production: Grapes are manually harvest and fermented as whole bunches without exogenous yeast sources, then foot trodden. The juices are elaborated in old neutral French 500 L oak barrels for 36 months. This project generates a minuscule production of less than 1000 bottles per vintage.

Reviews:

2012 Vintage

• 91+ pts – Wine Advocate (2015/03)
• 93 pts – Decanter

2013 Vintage

• This is the second vintage of this pure Garnacha from Tricio, grown at 700 metres in the southern part of the Rioja Alta sub-region. Made with 100% whole bunches, it’s still youthful for a three year old wine, with attractive clove spice, raspberry sweetness, subtle oak and mineral-edged acidity. 2017-21.
  91 pts — Tim Atkin, Rioja Report 2017

• The pure Garnacha 2013 Viña Amalia is produced with the grapes from a 96-year-old vineyard in the village of Tricio in Rioja Alta, on sand and red clay soils. As with other reds, the whole clusters were foot trodden and the wine fermented with indigenous yeasts, and had an extended élevage of some 36 months in well-seasoned, neutral, 500- liter French oak barrels. Only 900 bottles were produced. (2016 – 2021)
  90 pts — Luis Gutiérrez, Aug 2016, Wine Advocate