Losada

Based on the outskirts of Villafranca del Bierzo, Losada was started in 2005 with the objective of seeking out parcels of Mencía vines, planted on clay soils, a terroir which had been relatively overlooked in the past. With plots around the villages of Pieros and Valtuille de Abajo, the vines are bush trained and farmed with minimum intervention. The belief of head winemaker, Amancio Fernandez, is that the clay soils of these two sub regions produce Mencía grapes that have a finer structure than those planted on slate. The grapes are hand harvested, crushed and de-stemmed and then fermented using indigenous yeasts and extraction is achieved by daily pump overs. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel and latterly, Losada have also added egg-shaped cement tanks.

Bierzo

SPAIN

“Our aim is to find exceptional clay-soil plots in Valtuille and Pieros, capable of producing elegant and complex Mencía”.

Complexity and elegance are the grassroots of the Losada Vinos de Finca project, where, in addition to the conscientious selection of vineyards in order to express the true character of the region, the grapes belonging to each individual estate are handled independently at the bodega. Furthermore, the ageing process is regarded as a means of adding complexity and nuances to the wine, increasing its longevity. All of which is geared towards expressing the terroir of El Bierzo, with the greatest authenticity possible.

“Our philosophy is to respect the environment and make elegant wines”

Viticulture

We harvest by hand, placing the bunches in small plastic crates that are taken as quickly as possible to the harvest reception area of the winery. The fruit undergoes rigorous sorting on the vines so that any additional sorting required at the winery is minimal. The grapes are then de-stemmed and gently crushed before the fermentation begins naturally with the indigenous yeasts of the grape skins. The frequency of pump-overs and the temperature of fermentation are adjusted according to the character of the vintage. The new wines are then run off the skins into barrels for the malolactic fermentation. Ageing Our wines are differentiated according to vineyard origin rather than length of time spent in barrel. We believe that the role of the barrel is to let the wine breathe slowly through the pores of the oak and thus bring added complexity and greater longevity to the wine without losing its freshness and varietal character. We oak barrels that show the true character of the forests the wood was sourced from and which are best suited to the delicate and elegant wines that we produce. Our reliable French coopers are requested to supply us with lightly toasted barrels, taking into account the characteristics of each vintage.

Winemaking

In the cellars, we are as non-interventionist as possible and aim to bring out in the wine-making the character of the vineyard and the quality of the vintage that our painstaking work in the vines has sought to enhance. Our wine-making approach is underpinned by a combination of solid technical know-how and the experience and intuition gained from more than ten vintages in Bierzo.