Bodegas Alejos was founded in 1988 by the Ruiz-Alejos Ruiz family. in the heart of La Rioja, between Tudelilla and Arnedo, the area is famous for the quality of its wines. it is here where you will find the vineyards of bodegas Alejos.
Bodegas Alejos is a modern, dynamic winery. The actual winery consists of three annexed buildings with a total capacity of 1 million liters. Still, no matter how large it becomes, bodegas Alejos is dedicated to maintaining the production of quality wines as its number one objective.
The three buildings each hold importance: the first is used for the production and storage of the wines in stainless steel, the second central air-conditioned building is used for the ageing of the wines (first in American and then French oak) with a capacity of about 2,500 barrels. The third building is used for bottling and contains its own laboratory for quality control.
The grapes are selected from the most favorable plots and the stems are removed in the cellar. They are fermented in stainless steel tanks with controlled temperatures and continually agitated. The long maceration period extracts the maximum color and the highest levels of polyphenols.
The deposits are free run and the wine then goes through spontaneous malolactic fermentation and it is then decanted from the sediment.
The wine is placed into American and French oak for a minimum of 12 months. The bottles are then stored in a humidity and temperature controlled cage and released after its 3rd birthday. This ageing allows the wine to keep its balance of primary elements; grape characteristics, toasted hues, sweet tannins from the fruits and acidity, to develop tertiary elements such as oak wood characteristics and dark toasted hues from the lightly roasted staves. it pours a deep ruby color. The spiced nose is laced with vanilla and tobacco complexity. it is balanced on the palate with mushroom, roasted tomato, tobacco leading to a long and spicy finish. Try this with Spanish tapas (see recipe on page 13), cheesefilled ravioli and baked ham.
January 2009 Limited Series Newsletter (.pdf)
