An object of desire for many winemakers, Amézola de la Mora is an impressive 'château' with a special location in the Rioja Alta. It0s one of the few Rioja firms whose entire vineyard surrounds the winery, in pure Bordeaux style. We’re exclusively presenting the first wine that the winery has produced outside the traditional Crianza/Reserva system: Señorío de Amézola 2017, a wine unbound by constraints, from one of the great Rioja wineries.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
Consumption time
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
5% Viura, 90% Tempranillo, 5% Mazuelo
Type of barrel
70% French and 30% American oak barrels
Barrel aging time
18 months
Capacity (cl)
75
Total acidity (g/l)
5.8
Sugar
2.6
pH
3.6
Alcohol content (% vol.)
14
General Information
The 2017 vintage was marked by heavy frost in spring and a hot summer that resulted in the earliest harvest in the winery's history. It was a short harvest, but the grapes were of excellent quality. Señorío Amézola 2017 is a delicious blend of 90% Tempranillo, 5% Mazuelo and 5% Viura. The grapes come from the 60 hectares of vineyards surrounding the winery, and the wine has been aged for 18 months in French and American oak barrels.
The origins of Bodegas Amézola de la Mora, located in Torremontalvo (Rioja Alta), date back to the nineteenth century. After almost a century of inactivity, at the end of the 1970s brothers Íñigo and Javier Amézola, great-grandchildren of the founder, decided to take up winemaking again. They uprooted the cereal crops on the estate, replacing them with vines, and extended the facilities by constructing an additional building, maintaining the style of the original construction and its underground cellars, where the wines are now aged. The new winery, christened Amézola de la Mora, came into being in 1987. The firm’s 60 hectares of vineyards surround the facilities.
Cristina Downes, Íñigo's widow, took the reins of the winery in the late 1990s. And since 2005, their daughters Cristina and María Amézola Downes, the fifth generation, have continued the excellent work begun by their father. The winery has been wonderfully and subtly revamped, including more moderate ageing, the introduction of French oak – in addition to American oak – and a more fruit-driven wine profile.
Señorío Amézola 2017 (D.O.Ca. Rioja) pairs very well with lentils or beans, meat stews and semi-mature cheeses.
Creators' opinion
Deep ruby-red that denotes subtle ageing. Elegant, intense nose characteristic of the Tempranillo grape with a touch of spicy. Good body, fresh, smooth and complex.
The winery
The origins of Bodegas Amézola de la Mora date back to the early 19th century in Torremontalbo (La Rioja Alta). At the end of that same century, the phylloxera plague forced its owner to indefinitely halt winemaking activities. This pause lasted until 1986, when brothers Íñigo and Javier Amézola, great-grandsons of the founder, revived the winery and turned it into one of the most prominent in the region.
Although the winery is currently managed by Íñigo's daughters, the owner is Cristina Amézola Downes, their mother and Íñigo's widow. This generational change ensures that the project will endure over time with the same clarity as before. The château-style winery features cellars and underground caves, along with 70 hectares of its own vineyards. It produces a comprehensive range of seven wines, all of which boast more than notable quality.