VINEYARDS
All of our vineyards are situated within touching distance of our town, Briones. We now control almost 13 hectares, distributed across 24 small plots and providing a great diversity of soils types and expositions, which in turn contribute to the stylistic differences in our wines. We planted our youngest vineyard in 2001 and the oldest plots date back to the end of the 19th century.
We practice sustainable viticulture, with all work in the vineyards done by hand, without the use of herbicides. Many of our old plots are worked by horses due to the planting grid and in respect for the traditions of the region.
The harvest is made by hand. All the grapes are collected in small crates and quickly transported to the winery, where they are inspected again at the sorting table.
La Quinta Cruz
La Quinta Cruz was planted with the grape Mazuelo on the slopes of the Calvario Mountain in 1986. It is a steep vineyard of 1.2 hectares with a very thin topsoil of sand and gravel, completely covered by rolling stones. All these characteristics come together to limit the vigour and fertility of the vines, allowing us to make a 100% Mazuelo wine in the Atlantic-influenced Rioja Alta region.
La Pasada
This small plot of only 0.2 ha was planted in 1918 with Tempranillo and Calagraño at a grid of 1.40 x 1.40m. Every vine is a little treasure. It lies on the South part of Briones, in a deep, rich and fertile soil. This is the corner of our town where more old vineyards still survive.
Arzéndime
A vineyard of 0.5 hectares planted in 1975 at an altitude of 550 metres with Tempranillo and Viura. It is a steep hillside looking East, with fantastic limestone soil on shallow sandstone bedrock, which brings little vigour and great balance.
Arreluz
A group of three small vineyards (0.85 ha in total) planted between the Arreluz ravine and the old path to Santo Domingo, very close to the village of Briones. On the upper part, on sand and limestone soils with some bedrock emerging into the surface, we have Tempranillo and Viura vines from 1953. Below, also on a calcareous but richer soil with some clay, we have 0.73 ha of Tempranillo from 1987. At a corner of the plot you can find a bunch of centenary Malvasia vines.
La Loma
La Loma (1’4 ha) was planted in 1946 on a slope facing East, as steep as 7%. Its soil is an unusual combination of limestone, sand and clay, with very different zones inside the parcel. On the highest part, shallow and full of pebbles, we can find Garnacha Blanca plants that we use for our Blanco wine. In the rest of the vineyard we have plants of Tempranillo and Garnacha, as well as some vines of Garnacha Gris, Graciano, Moscatel and Calagraño.
Mendigüerra
At the hill of Mendiguerra lie the coolest vineyards of Briones, due to its high altitude and North orientation. It is a perfect spot for our reservas, providing grapes with great energy and freshness. Here we have two vineyards of some 2,000 square metres each planted in 1931 and 1952 with Tempranillo and Viura. The soils here are made up of gravels and limestone with many rolling stones.
El Remedio
El Remedio is right at the border between the villages of San Vicente and Briones and takes its name from the old hermitage that used to be there in the Middle Ages. It is a beautiful group of sand and pebble terraces that fall into the Ebro River, and where we have this small plot of 0’22 ha., planted with Tempranillo in 1990.
La Ínsula
A tiny little spot planted with Garnacha before the Phylloxera attack of the end of the 19th Century that we have started to work very recently. Here we find ungrafted vines on a sand bank beside the Ebro River and covering just above 1,000 square metres. This sandy soil prevented the vines from becoming affected by phylloxera, and for that we are very thankful.
El Rincón
Our youngest vineyard, planted in 2001, and the base for our wine Miguel Merino Viñas Jóvenes (young vineyards). It is a 1.45 ha estate of Tempranillo and Graciano on the hillside of La Dehesa, on a slope facing East with clay and calcareous soil.
All our work at this vineyard (fertilizers, pruning, treatments, yieldings) is planned so that, in the future, El Rincón will become a great old vineyard.
Todo nuestro trabajo en este viñedo (abonados, poda, tratamiento, rendimientos) está pensado para que, con el tiempo, El Rincón llegue a convertirse en un extraordinario viñedo viejo.
