Rioja Alavesa, in the foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains, is the finest sub-region of Rioja. A patchwork of small vineyards are planted to very poor, sandy soils on lower slopes. The very limited yields, along with cooler night temperatures, create wines with intensity matched by elegance and defined structures. Tempranillo is harvested off untrellised Gobelet bush vines. Bunches are totally de-stemmed before a long, cool maceration and fermentation with daily pump overs to achieve optimum colour and tannin extraction. Following completion of malolactic, batches are twice racked before being treated to a term of maturation.