Varieties of León DO wines
At the León DO and its wineries we work in a constant process of improvement for our wines.
We are at the vanguard in the elaboration and evolution of our way of creating each wine, adapting to new trends and forms of consumption.
That is why we offer a wide range of wines with their own identity: a wine from León -whether red, white, rosé or semi-sweet- is a guarantee of quality and growing recognition both nationally and internationally.
Reds
The red wines of León DO stand out for their renowned quality and for a great diversity of elaborations, creations that range from the traditional to the avant-garde, thanks to the specialisation and experience of its wineries.
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Rosés
From young and fresh rosés, with our characteristic needle, to more complex and gastronomic versions, without forgetting our traditional madreo. León rosés are a full-flavoured option to accompany a wide variety of dishes.
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Whites
The León DO has suitable growing areas and an interesting variety of white grapes, among which our albarín grape stands out, allowing us to produce fruity and fresh white wines, as well as more complex barrel-aged whites.
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Red wines
Made from a minimum of 60% of Prieto Picudo, Mencía and/or Negro Saurí grapes. The remaining 40% may be distributed among the authorised red grapes.
Organoleptic Characteristics
Visual
Purplish red, purple red, garnet red, burgundy red, ruby red, brick red and copper red.
Nose
Aromas of ripe red and black fruits (strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant), red flowers, vegetables, spicy, varietal, empyreumatic, chemical, wood and animal aromas.
Taste
Fresh and balanced in relation to alcohol content, acidity and residual sugar content.
Rosé wines
Made from a minimum of 60% of grapes of the main varieties Prieto Picudo, Mencía and/or Negro Saurí. The remaining 40% will correspond to the authorised red and/or main and authorised white varieties.
Organoleptic Characteristics
Visual
Raspberry red, strawberry red, orangey red and brick red.
Nose
Aromas of fresh red fruits (strawberry, raspberry, cherry, ….), red flowers, spicy, varietal, chemical, empyreumatic and wood ( when applicable).
Taste
Fresh and balanced in relation to alcohol content, acidity and residual sugar content.
White wines
Made from a minimum of 50% of grapes of the main white varieties. The remaining 50% will correspond to the authorised white varieties.
Organoleptic Characteristics
Visual
Greenish yellow, lemon yellow, straw yellow and golden yellow.
Nose
Fruity, floral, herbaceous, spicy, varietal, chemical, empyreumatic and woody aromas (where appropriate).
Taste
Fresh and balanced in relation to alcohol content, acidity and residual sugar content.
Processing
The techniques used in handling the grapes, must and wine, fermentation control and conservation process are designed to achieve top quality products while maintaining the typicity of the wines from this DO.
Modern technological practices are used to produce the must, aimed at improving wine quality. The correct pressure is applied to extract the must or wine and separate it from the grape pomace.
In developing techniques to obtain products that can come under the DO León, only mechanical systems which don’t damage or split the solid parts of the clusters can be used to extract the must.
Vinification, storage, ageing and bottling of DO León wines must be made in wineries located within the production zone. Such wineries must comply with the regulations covering their production, storage, ageing and bottling established by the Regulatory Board and contained in the Quality Manual.
Vinification must be carried out in tanks or recipients that guarantee the wine’s hygienic standard, either made of stainless steel or other permitted materials.
The traditional madreo winemaking technique
1.- The ancestral technique of ‘madreo’ consists of the winemaker/enologist adding whole bunches of perfectly healthy Prieto Picudo grapes to the rosé wine vats during fermentation. The quantity of clusters added is between 5-10% of the capacity of the tank where fermentation takes place.
The moment to add this quantity of clusters to the tank is at the oenologist’s discretion: either they are added once fermentation has started, before the density drops below 1,000 grams per cubic centimetre; or small quantities of clusters can be added until the 5-10% mentioned above is reached, at three different moments during fermentation. Once fermentation has finished, the clusters added to the tank are discarded.
3.- The objectives pursued with this technique are 3: a slower evolution of the wine’s colour, an increase in aromatic intensity and the contribution of the ‘natural needle’ to the taste phase, that is, the contribution of the carbonic gas generated endogenously during the fermentation process both in the must and in the interior of each grape berry, which is manifested on the palate by a fine bubble (without becoming a sparkling wine) and a slight increase in the wine’s acidity.
Ageing
Wines must be aged in oak casks.
«Crianza»
The wine must be aged for at least 24 months, of which at least six months must be in oak casks with a maximum capacity of 330 litres.
«Reserva» and «Gran Reserva»
These wines only come from particular harvests that have achieved a balance in terms of all their organoleptic qualities and an outstanding aromatic content as a consequence of ageing which must be carried out according to the following standards:
Reserva wines must have been aged for at least 36 months, remaining at least 12 months in oak casks with a maximum capacity of 330 litres, and in the bottle for the rest of the aforementioned period.
Gran Reserva wines must have been aged for at least 60 months, remaining at least 18 months in oak casks with a maximum capacity of 330 litres, and in the bottle for the rest of the aforementioned period.
