The types of wines covered by the León Designation of Origin are as follows:
White, produced with at least 50% of grapes from the main white varieties. The remaining 50% can be made up of the permitted white grape varieties.
Rosé, produced with at least 60% of grapes from the main varieties of Prieto Picudo, Mencía and/or Negro Saurí. The remaining 40% can be made up of permitted red grape varieties and/or main permitted white varieties.
Red, produced with at least 60% of grapes from the variety of Prieto Picudo, Mencía and/or Negro Saurí. The remaining 40% can be made up of a combination of other permitted red grape varieties.
Organoleptic Qualities
Appearance
Greenish-yellow, lemon yellow, straw yellow and golden yellow.
Nose
Fruity, floral, herbaceous, spicy, varietal, chemical, empyreumatic and wood aromas (when applicable).
Palate
Fresh and balanced in relation to alcohol content, acidity and residual sugar content.
Appearance
Raspberry red, strawberry red, orange red and russet red.
Nose
Fresh red berries (strawberry, raspberry, cherry…), red flowers, spicy, varietal, chemical, empyreumatic and wood aromas (when applicable).
Palate
Fresh and balanced in relation to alcohol content, acidity and residual sugar content.
Appearance
Violet red, purple red, maroon red, burgundy red, ruby red, brick red and copper red.
Nose
Ripe red and black fruits (strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant), red flowers, vegetable, spicy, varietal, empyreumatic, chemical, wood and animal aromas.
Palate
Fresh and balanced in relation to alcohol content, acidity and residual sugar content.
Production
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.
Ageing
Wines must be aged in oak casks. There are the following categories for red wines:
«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.
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