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Quinta da Muradella

Description Quinta da Muradella

A modest man, José Luis Mateo is yet considered by many as the only real good winemaker in the Monterrei appellation, and even the best of all Galicia. He doesn't care about the accolades and scores he gets in the international wine press, working according to what he sees in his vines.

Regions of Quinta da Muradella
Appellations of Quinta da Muradella
Winemaker José Luis Mateo
Owner José Luis Mateo
Founding 1991
Description Quinta da Muradella

History Quinta da Muradella

José Luis Mateo owns one of the smallest estates in our portfolio, but his wine production is amongst the very best of Spain. It all started by chance: José’s brother had a bar in Verín, the largest town in DO Monterrei, and he needed some not-too-expensive wine to serve to his customers. José Luis set to work and produced some sort of pale red. This is how he caught the wine virus… and decided to try to make better wine. He started the Quinta da Muradella project in 1991, with the support of the whole family. Right from the start, he decided to work with the old grapes of the region and try to rehabilitate them. A lot of the region’s vineyards had been abandoned because it was not profitable anymore. Block by block, José Luis began to restore these vines, applying the organic principles – his estate is certified – and even biodynamics. In 2000, he met Raúl Pérez (Spain’s most inescapable oenologist) who helped him to progress again. Together, they began a quest for spectacular and often abandoned vines on virtually inaccessible spots. This gave life to the ‘A Trabe Project’, which are amongst Spain’s best wines, in red and in white. Quinta da Muradella has opened a new chapter in the Spanish wine history. Atlantic influences give the reds a new unprecedented dimension.

Quinta da Muradella
Av. Luis Espada 99
Verin
Ourense

Varieties Quinta da Muradella

José Luis controls 24 hectares of vines, spread between 34 blocks of vines on all sides of the DO. Some are old vines (A Trabe, Finca Notario…), others are new vineyards planted with clones of the parents which José Luis selected in the old vines. With all the grapes he grows, he only produces one wine per colour and grape variety. These grapes are as follows: In white, Doña blanca is the most common, then comes Treixadura (also used in Ribeiro), Verdello (the Galician version of Rueda’s Verdejo), Monstruosa de Monterrei (called this way because of the size of its grapes), Bastardo rubio, Torrontés, Caíño blanco and Albariño. In red, Bastardo (also called Merenzao in Portugal, it is thought to be linked with Tenerife’s Baboso), Mencía, Caíño redondo, Caíño longo, Zamarrica, Brancellao (aka Albarello), Sousón, Arauxa (a local version of Tempranillo), Serodio, Verdello tinto, Tintorera, Touriga Nacional, Prieto Picudo and Syrah.

Terroir Quinta da Muradella

The Támega River, a tributary of the Douro flows through the whole DO Monterrei, from north to south. On each side of the valley, there are two different types of bedrocks. On the left side, granite dating from the Ordovician (between 488 and 443 million years ago). On the right side, mainly slate, formed in the same era, and also iron, wolframite and tin. The different blocks of vines of the estate are spread between the two types of soils. Their altitude varies from 360 to 900 m. In the northwest (Gorvia and Finca El Notario): transition zones from granite to iron shale/schist and alluvial deposits. In the southwest: pure granite, with sand on the surface (Oimbra vines). In the southeast: at the meeting point between two layers that appear on the surface, iron slates and clays are to be found; they are the result of the erosion of the upper soils. Lower, granitic sands mixed with clay dominate. These are the proper vine blocks of Quinta da Muradella (11.6 ha). Not far from there is the A Trabe vine, in the Vilardevós Mounts (870 m), on very eroded slates. On this small block (1.2 ha), all grapes are planted together, according to the old system. This vine is more than 100 years old. Monterrei has a semi-continental/semi-Atlantic climate; the risk of frost is high until the month of May.

Vinification Quinta da Muradella

Harvesting by hand. Indigenous yeasts only. The winemaking method is adapted to each wine, the rule being not to manipulate the grapes unnecessarily. Long macerations on lees, in oak barrels (500 to 1500 litres). Then, again, the ageing process depends on the type of wine.

75 cl.
93 R. Parker
Biological
Biodynamic
Alanda Tinto
Alanda Tinto 2018
Galicia
Quinta da Muradella
D.O. Monterrei
75 cl.
red
36,11 €
29,84 € excl. VAT
Assembly

Bastardo (Merenzao), Mencia, Tintorera

Content

75 cl.

Year

2018

Description

An Atlantic-climate wine coming from Southern Galicia. Its Burgundy, refined style is that of a different Spain.

75 cl.
93 R. Parker
Biological
Biodynamic
Castro Baroncelli
Castro Baroncelli 2018
Galicia
Quinta da Muradella
D.O. Monterrei
75 cl.
red
79,47 €
65,68 € excl. VAT
Assembly

Mencia

Content

75 cl.

Year

2018

Description

This is only the second time that this cuvée Castro Baroncelli has ever been produced - a 100% Mencia from the highest vines. And one of its greatest wines.

75 cl.
95 R. Parker
Biological
Biodynamic
El Pliegue
El Pliegue 2015
Galicia
Quinta da Muradella
D.O. Monterrei
75 cl.
red
57,79 €
47,76 € excl. VAT
Assembly

Bastardo (Merenzao), Brancellao (Albarello), Caiño Longo, Carabuñenta, Mencia

Content

75 cl.

Year

2015

Description

A nice blend from the "campo de probas" (the experimentation field) where José Luis Mateo has planted or grafted several old local varieties. This fantastic wine was produced for the first time in 2015.

75 cl.
94 R. Parker
Biological
Biodynamic
Garnacha Tintorera
Garnacha Tintorera 2016
Galicia
Quinta da Muradella
D.O. Monterrei
75 cl.
red
57,79 €
47,76 € excl. VAT
Assembly

Tintorera (100%)

Content

75 cl.

Year

2016

Description

This wine is made from Garnacha Tintorera vines planted in the 1920s. It us quite unique, for this grape is habitually used in blends, mainly for the colour. But José Luis Mateo has decided to use it on its own and makes a wine full of personality out of it, a refined wine with a Rhône character.

75 cl.
95 R. Parker
Biological
Biodynamic
Gorvia Blanco
Gorvia Blanco 2019
Galicia
Quinta da Muradella
D.O. Monterrei
75 cl.
white
58,01 €
47,94 € excl. VAT
Assembly

Doña Blanca (100%)

Content

75 cl.

Year

2019

Description

The smoky and leesy 2019 Gorvia Blanco is a single-vineyard white from a classified vineyard, the first one he planted 38 years ago with trellises and later transformed to goblet. It's one hectare on a slope by the Monterrei Castle on decomposed and complex slate soils, mostly Dona Blanca with 5% Treixadura and Verdello Antiguo. It fermented in a 1,500-liter foudre and a 500-liter barrel, all used and neutral, where the wine is kept with lees for one year, then blended and put in stainless steel for one more year. It feels young and undeveloped; it's still pale and primary, with notes of herbs and fennel, crushed stones and a balanced palate with precision, delineation and purity and with a very tasty finish. The variety is considered quite neutral but does reflect the character of the place quite faithfully ... at least when worked like this! Bravo! 2,500 numbered bottled were filled in November 2021.

75 cl.
95 Guía Peñin
Biological
Biodynamic
Gorvia Tinto
Gorvia Tinto 2018
Galicia
Quinta da Muradella
D.O. Monterrei
75 cl.
red
58,01 €
47,94 € excl. VAT
Assembly

Mencia (95%), Bastardo (Merenzao) (4%), Caiño Redondo (1%)

Content

75 cl.

Year

2018

Description

This wine is named after a small enclave in the D.O. Monterey: Govia. The estate's wines are all farmed biodynamically.

75 cl.
95 R. Parker
Biological
Biodynamic
Verdello Antiguo
Verdello Antiguo 2021
Galicia
Quinta da Muradella
D.O. Monterrei
75 cl.
white
79,69 €
65,86 € excl. VAT
Assembly

Verdello Antiguo (100%)

Content

75 cl.

Year

2021

Description

With this wine, José Luis Mateo has accomplished a tour de force and a première, recuperating the Verdello Antiguo, an old clone of Godelllo from the Monterrei heights. This wine has more tension than your usual Godello.

75 cl.
95 R. Parker
Biological
Verdello Antiguo
Verdello Antiguo 2019
Galicia
Quinta da Muradella
D.O. Monterrei
75 cl.
white
79,47 €
65,68 € excl. VAT
Assembly

Verdello Antiguo (100%)

Content

75 cl.

Year

2019

Description

With this wine, José Luis Mateo has accomplished a tour de force and a première, recuperating the Verdello Antiguo, an old clone of Godelllo from the Monterrei heights. This wine has more tension than your usual Godello.

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