CAPITEL

The autumn of 2019 was marked by mild temperatures and somewhat higher than usual precipitation. January and February were unusually warm, which led to an earlier start to spring. The first weeping of the vines took place in mid-March, but bud break took place a month later due to the particularly cold weather, with snow falling on 31 March. May was a month of mild temperatures and abundant rainfall that facilitated adequate vegetative development, with flowering occurring in the first week of June. The summer was warm and dry, allowing the vines to be in excellent health and veraison to begin at the end of August. The harvest began on 8 September and lasted until 30 September.

The Capitel vineyard, the Peña Aguda plot, with 1.10 hectares, sits on a seam of slate with a characteristic dark colour to the south of the village of Nieva. Its geological origin is much earlier than the sandy soils that are predominant in the area: it dates back to the Paleozoic Era, more than 500 million years ago. Some of the vines at Peña Aguda are close to 200 years old, which is a real heritage, historical and viticultural. The yield of these vines is low, and each small cluster maintains an exceptional concentration. The viticulture practised here is of the utmost respect, aimed at preserving a legacy in the form of the vineyard and maintaining the purity of this unique Verdejo grape.

The grapes are harvested by hand in 12 kg crates under strict quality control and selection. The bunches are pressed whole, without destemming, in a vertical hand press, and the grapes are crushed. The must fermented with its own indigenous yeasts in 228-litre Burgundian-style barrels. Subsequently, the wine remained, with periodic stirrings, in French oak barrels without racking, where it was aged for ten months on its lees. Capitel 2020 was bottled in the summer of 2021.