The views from here are not just exciting
They are also very instructive: a true lesson in Rioja's geography. We are on the broad plateau that lies west of Elciego. Just a kilometer and a half from the town, getting here is a pleasant walk through rural roads between vineyards. When the access road to this plateau turns into a dirt track, we have already entered El Gallo.
El Gallo is one of the fundamental locations for Muriel Wines activity. Our best vines extend over this platform of mostly clay-calcareous soils, which acts as a hinge for two landscape units, as defined by the Landscape Catalog of the Basque Government's Environment Department: to the north, the so-called vineyard 'false-country'; to the south, the series of high terraces of the Ebro river. The boundary between one and another unit is the road from Elciego to Baños de Ebro, which runs along the barely perceptible dividing line of the plateau.
From El Gallo vineyards , most of which were planted with the Tempranillo variety, we obtain the grapes to elaborate Viña Muriel's range of wines: Blanco Reserva, Reserva and Gran Reserva. The identification of this brand with the place is so deep, that at a commercial level we have renamed the place with the name of Viña Muriel.
Geography
The estate is located 1.5 km west of Elciego. The average altitude is 540 meters, with ends at 520 and 560 meters.
It has an approximate area of ??about 200 hectares; the estate owned by Muriel Wines occupies the central area of ??the plateau and reaches 24 hectares.
The main orientation is north-south, which ensures an ideal sunshine time during the whole vine plant process.
Geology
Within the same pattern of shallow and little fertile calcareous soil, we find different types of surface depending on the plot. This diversity has a remarkable influence on the type and style of wines.
The southern half of the plateau, corresponding assail above to the landscape unit of the Ebro river high terraces, shows a unique feature in the whole Rioja Alavesa: a characteristic reddish substrate from a vein of ferrous composition.
Weather
The site shares the continental Mediterranean climate typical of the central zone of Rioja Alavesa, although it has some particularities due to the height and the singular features of the plateau, an open space with hardly any arboreal vegetation. Its most outstanding conditions are the summer aridity and the marked aeration, in which the north-west wind component dominates. This factor helps to avoid frost. The average year temperature is 12.8 ºC and the average rainfall is 570 mm per year.
Vinegrowing
In our plots we develop a precision viticulture that seeks to produce the best fruit. Our objective is not quantity but quality. The average production is between 3,500 and 4,000 Kg per hectare.
The state is planted mostly with Tempranillo. There are around 2,000 vines of Viura. The main plantation dates from 1973 although there is a previous small plot that is over 50 years old.
Precision viticulture is based on a series of actions:
- A short pruning to achieve a balance in production and development of the strain.
- A controlled and limited plant work to keep the soil structure.
- Low fertilization in order to maintain the soil mineral balance.
- A sustainable and rational use of chemical products.
- Green pruning, crucial for a correct vegetative development of the bunch and the leaves mass. It is also important to get a balanced ripening.
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