Valtuille de Abajo
Their flagship Valtuille Vino de Villa is from low-yielding vines in the village of Valtuille de Abajo, highlighting the virtues of JAG’s oldest bush-trained vineyards from their home village with mixed alluvial and clay soils with a wide variety of stones planted at 550m altitude.
The wine is produced from co-fermented mencía and 15% white grapes (doña blanca, palomino, and godello) from different old vineyards selected for high quality.
Crucial to the quality and complexity of JAG’s wines is the genetic heritage of their ancient vines, planted mostly before the industrialization of Spanish wine. With some vines in Valtuille being between 100 and 200 years old, their vineyards provide an unspoiled genetic window to an era before modern clones were selected for higher yields. It’s one thing to produce wines naturally; it’s another thing entirely to produce naturally-made wine from old-vine vineyards like these, which are among the oldest in Europe. The viticulture is strictly organic, and the only compost used is local, organic chestnuts, which grow in the vineyards.
The Valtuille Vino de Villa showcases the juicy red fruit character of the wines from Valtuille. It has generous fruits, silky tannins, and a dry, savory finish that makes it excel in food pairings.
Vinification – Following a manual harvest, 35% of the bunches are destemmed, while 65% are retained as whole clusters. The wine is then spontaneously co-fermented with indigenous yeast in large, open-top foudres for 40 days with manual punch downs twice a day. No temperature control. No pumps are used at the winery, with gentle racking done by gravity. Malolactic fermentation is spontaneous. Aging is on fine lees in new and old French oak barrels (300L and 500L) for 11 months. Very light fining with bentonite.
Bierzo – Valtuille Vino de Villa
Site: Cabanelas, La Mata de los Pardos, and La Cova de la Raposa at 500m to 600m
Grapes: 85% mencía with 15% godello, palomino, doña blanca
Vine Age: Vines planted from 1914 to 1934
Soil: Clay and sandy loam
Vinification: Spontaneous co-fermentation with indigenous yeast in foudre without temperature control
Aging: 11 months on the fine lees, in both old and new French oak of 300L and 500L
S02 Total: 40mg/L
ABV: 13.5%
Farming: Practicing Organic
Vegan: Yes