El Coto de Rioja

The winery is located in Oyón in the Spanish Rioja sub-region Rioja Alavesa. It was founded in 1970. The vineyards cover a total of 325 hectares of vineyards in Cenicero in the Rioja Alta sub-area, near the river Najerilla. Clay soils predominate. The rest of the grapes come from strictly controlled vineyards in the Rioja Alavesa sub-area. Fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature in steel tanks. The wine is aged in 78,000 barriques of 80% American and 20% French oak. The average life of an oak barrel is 4.9 years. The red wines are produced with a high proportion of Tempranillo or varietal. Every year 23 million kilograms of grapes are processed. Six million bottles of red wine mature in the cellars. About 30% of the production is exported to 30 countries worldwide. The premium wines include Coto de Imaz and Coto Real. The "Coto de Imaz Gran Reserva" is pressed from 100% Tempranillo from the Rioja Alta region. It matures for 24 months in American oak barriques and another 36 months in the bottle. The "Coto Real" is made from the best grapes from old vines with low yields: 10% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 10% Graciano. The three wines mature for 22 months in barriques with regular bâtonnage (stirring). Then they are blended and mature for another 24 months in the bottle.