HISTORY OF THE BODEGA

It was based on the first half of last century taking advantage of a cave covered with stone of sillería rustica; a place where the old flour mill of Laguardia was located. Subsequently, in the fifties, the wine cellar with the construction of a closed building-in-vault was expanded to three heights of deposits with a capacity of a total of 800.000 litres.

THE ELABORATION

To their Tintos they apply two ways of elaboration.

CARBONIC MACERATION or ENCUBE of the entire grape without destemming it, traditional method of Rioja Alavesa. Casa-Juan has specialized itself in this very prolonged process of a minimum of 30 days for the Joven CUARTETO and even up to 60 days for their wine highlight SONETO. After this carbonic maceation it is treaded very carefully. This elaboration is done only with Tempranillo.

Method mostly applied in La Rioja: destemmed or free from stalks, gently squeezed and then fermented in their skins, lasting in the fermentation tanks for an average of 27 days. This elaboration is applied to the family wines called SEÑOR DE LESMOS

The Barricas - Casks

At present they have a park of 500 casks, 70% of American oak, 15% of Bosnian oak and 15% of French allier oak and of not more than 4 years old. Thus being prepared to satisfy the ever increasing number of demanding and exalting clientele.

Vineyards and Vendimia - Wine-Harvest

Bodegas Casa-Juan posesses at present 20 hectares of own Vineyards in Alta Rioja, being the varieties TEMPRANILLO - 14has, MAZUELO - 3has, GARNACHA - 2has, VIURA -1ha.

The technical oenologists of the Bodega are in control of all the processing. From the 2nd week of August onwards the monitoring of the ripening begins, the taking of samples, degree of sugar content and tartaric acidity. This is the only way to determine the exact date of the Vendimia, that is, harvesting when ripening has reached its perfection.

Through this efficiency and independence, the harvested grapes are always processed the same day without any dealy. The fruit passes the shortest possible time from mother earth to its fermentation pit to start its fermentation process.

Otherwise the wine could loose a breath of aroma.