Terroir & Garnacha

From its privileged location in the highest part of the town of Borja (500m above sea level) can be seen the Santuario de la Misericordia (Shrine of Mercy) and La Muela de Borja to the northwest, with the Ebro Valley and the Pyrenees to the north, the Sierra de Tabuenca and Huecha valley to the south-east, while to the south-west in the foreground can be seen El Moncayo, which is the highest point in the Iberian Mountain Range (2,315m); this gives its name to the winery.

This closeness of Moncayo, is what gives the area a cool, dry continental climate, influenced by the Atlantic in the winter and the Mediterranean in the summer, with different microclimates depending on the altitude at which the vineyard is located. Thus, average rainfall may be 250 mm/year in the lower ranges and 350 mm/year in the higher areas of Tabuenca; hardened by the prevailing wind from the north-west, called “El Cierzo”, which accelerates evaporation from the low rainfall areas.

The soil where these old strains of Garnacha are located is on the foothills glacis or slopes of the mountains of Ainzón, Fuendejalón and Tabuenca; very stony, with slightly rounded edges of limestone or marl, dolomite, quartzite and slate. These are highly permeable soils that allow the water to seep into the deeper layers of clay.

The garnacha grape is one of the varieties that best expresses its terroir. Thus, the Garnacha of Alto Moncayo is different from the rest of the Campo de Borja Denominación de Origen (DO) area. This is due to the very strict selection made from the vineyards, the type of soil in which they are grown, the microclimate and the age of the vines. As these vines are very old, the strains are very well-balanced, with a very deep root system.

All of these factors, together with the location of the vineyards, between 500m and 800m in height, where the maturity is very slow, leads to wines of great fruitiness and minerality. In the mouth they are rich and fulsome, with pleasant, mature tannins and highly aromatic persistence.