Cellar - Bodega Sierra Norte

Vineyards and wineries

We manage 322 hectares of vines in Camporrobles, Calderón, La Roda, Carcelén, Jumilla and El Pinós. Our wineries are a short distance away from these vines.

Requena

Our logistics and research centre

The Requena winery is our headquarters. This is where our everyday work of organisation, administration, research and logistics is done. In the technical area we have the latest bottling line, together with a fully-equipped research department, in which we do laboratory tests to back up the tastings done by our technical team. We also have barrel cellars to accommodate 1,100 French and American oak barrels. It is from this centre in Requena that all the wines made in our three production wineries located in Camporrobles, La Roda and Jumilla are delivered and then distributed all over the world.

Camporrobles

A special location in the Utiel-Requena area

The special characteristics of the soil and the climate of our vineyards in Camporrobles are undeniably a major factor in the success of Bodega Sierra Norte’s wines, which are among the finest and most individual of the whole region. With 940 metres altitude and mountains surrounding the vineyards, this location has a microclimate, in which temperature swings between daytime and night-time can be as much as 20°. These extreme climatic conditions, endured vintage after vintage, and only made milder by Mediterranean currents, have made our vines there tougher. It is from these vines, which are over 60 years old, that we produce our Bobal.

La Roda

Extreme heat and night-time harvesting

At La Roda, in Albacete, we have 70 hectares of vines, planted around the winery in the purest French château style. Because of the area’s extreme climate, with very warm summers and long, cold winters, the grape ripening process is enhanced. The harvesting though is done at night when temperatures are cooler to prevent the high September and October day-time temperatures from affecting the quality of the fruit. At La Roda, we produce unoaked and barrel-aged wines in the Tierra de Castilla appellation, the latter of which are aged in a cellar containing 300 French and American oak barrels.

Jumilla

El Pinós, the optimal expression of the Monastrell grape

This area’s 150 hectares of vineyards provide us with Monastrell, an indigenous grape variety, coming from vines of over 50 years old. Poor soils and almost desert-like arid conditions give high quality grapes that produce round, smooth single variety wines. The winery combines tradition and technology in equal parts. One of its technological features is its roto-macerators, which substantially enhance the maceration process and optimise extraction. We also age our wines in Jumilla in 100 French and American barrels of different chars.

Varietals

We have chosen to grow indigenous Mediterranean grapes, such as Bobal and Monastrell, but have also included some outside varieties to help give the wines extra roundness.

Bobal

This indigenous variety from our Utiel-Requena area has its roots in medieval times. The wines made with Bobal have a deep dark cherry hue with a violet, garnet-coloured rim. It provides excellent, very fresh-tasting rosés and reds, but also has great potential for the production of long-ageing wines, thanks to its good body and structure, which are enhanced further if the grapes come from old vineyards. Bobal gives very interesting wines with complexity and fine tannins.

Our wines made with Bobal are:

Fuenteseca Tinto, Bercial Ladera los Cantos, Ananto Tinto, Ananto Rosado, Pasión Bobal Rosado, Pasión Bobal Tinto, Fuenteseca Rosado, Mariluna Tinto.

Cabernet Sauvignon

This grape is of French origin and typical of red Bordeaux. It produces wines with a deep, ruby-red colour with purple tones. They have body and aromatic expression together with a characteristic herbaceous touch. It refines with age. When vinified with other varieties it considerably improves their organoleptic characteristics.

Our wines made with Cabernet Sauvignon are:

Olcaviana Cabernet Sauvignon, Fuenteseca Tinto, Bercial Ladera los Cantos, Fuenteseca Rosado.

Chardonnay

This grape comes from Burgundy in France and has adapted very well to Spain’s Mediterranean climate. Our Chardonnay vines are low-yielding, due to hard pruning. The berries are small, round and become honey-coloured when ripe. Wines made with Chardonnay have a straw-yellow colour and delicate aromas. They have a slightly smoky note and if aged in oak, great results can be achieved, thanks to its high dry extract and its very low level of oxidation.

Our wines made with Chardonnay are:

Bercial Blanco Selección, Olcaviana Chardonnay.

Garnacha

Macabeo

This grape variety is very extensively planted in the Utiel-Requena area and is very resistant to the region’s frosts. With an intense, fruity aroma, the Macabeo produces slow-oxidation wines, making them particularly suitable for barrel ageing. The picking date has an important bearing on the style of the wines: they can be pale-coloured and with balanced acidity, if the grapes are picked early; or more structured and smooth, if they are picked later. This is a versatile variety with which both unoaked and barrel-aged wines can be made.

Our wines made with Macabeo are:

Bercial Blanco Selección, Ananto Blanco, Fuenteseca White, Mariluna White.

Merlot

This is a grape variety of French origin, which adapts well to our soils. Its wines have a very deep ruby-red colour; they are fine and smooth but also aromatic and fleshy. When blended with red Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bobal or Tempranillo, its quality is enhanced, making it perfect for barrel-ageing.

Our wine made with Merlot is:

Olcaviana Merlot.

Monastrell

We grow Monastrell with the utmost care and attention in our vineyards located between Jumilla and Alicante. Thanks to this area’s extreme climatic conditions (low rainfall and extreme temperatures), we are able to bring out the very best that this variety can offer. Monastrell produces wines with a brilliant red colour, which are expressive on the nose, well-structured and with good acidity. Excellent for barrel ageing, they also blend well with other varieties.

Our wines made with Monastrell are:

Equilibrio Joven, Ananto Monastrell, Pasión Monastrell, Equilibrio 9, Equilibrio 4.

Muscat Petit Grain

This variety produces wines with a straw-yellow colour that can have golden glints. On the nose they are intensely perfumed with Muscat grape aromas. Light-bodied on the palate, they are very fresh with floral and fruity notes. Good acidity and volume on the palate.

Our wine made with Muscat Petit Grain is:

Pasión Moscatel.

Petit Verdot

This is a late-ripening variety which produces deep-coloured wines with a spicy nose of red berry fruit. It is full-flavoured, dry and tannic. The aromas of toffee, vanilla, and mocha that come from the oak ageing give it great aromatic complexity. On the palate this variety brings balance.

Our wine made with Petit Verdot is:

1564 Petit Verdot.

Pinot Noir

Sauvignon Blanc

This is a white grape of French origin which has adapted perfectly to our terroir. It produces wines with intensely perfumed but at the same time delicate aromas. It can be enjoyed when the wines are young and have fresh and floral characters, but also when the wines have spent some time in barrel. It also blends well with other varieties making the wines more interesting and complex.

Our wines made with Sauvignon Blanc are:

Equilibrio Sauvignon Blanc, Bercial Blanco Selección, Olcaviana Sauvignon Blanc, Fuenteseca White.

Syrah

Probably of French origin, this variety has adapted well to our soils and climatic conditions. It gives attractive, flavoursome wines with a ruby-red colour with purple tones. They are well-structured, very aromatic with hints of forest fruit and violets. They are spicy with lively acidity. They are great to blend with other less aromatic wines.

Our wines made with Syrah are:

Equilibrio Joven, 1564 Natural Red, 1564 Syrah.

Tempranillo

The name of this red grape variety comes from its early (temprana) budding and ripening. It is used to produce unoaked wines made with the carbonic maceration technique, but has also proved an excellent variety for ageing in oak. It produces wines with a ruby colour, aromas of berries, plums, tobacco, vanilla, leather and grass. On the palate, it is clean and fresh in young unoaked wines, becoming more velvety when it ages.

Our wines made with Tempranillo are:

Ananto Tinto, Olcaviana Tempranillo, Mariluna Tinto.

Verdejo

This white grape is greatly appreciated for the high quality wines it produces. They have a deep yellow colour with good acidity and very fruity aromas with slight herbaceous touches. On the palate, Verdejo brings freshness, acidity, body and great length.

Our wines made with Verdejo are:

Olcaviana Verdejo, 1564 Natural White, Mariluna White.

Viognier

This white grape variety originates from the northern slopes of the Rhône valley. Although it has spread to other areas, it is rare in our region due to the complexity of cultivating it. It possesses enormous potential for producing fine wines. The wines have a powerful structure, with a long finish on the palate. They are very perfumed with ripe fruit aromas reminiscent of mango, apple, peach, vanilla and reveal floral notes, such as magnolia and honeysuckle.

Our wine made with Viognier is:

1564 Viognier.

Xarel·lo

Research

Bodega Sierra Norte has regular, ongoing work projects focusing on research and development.

This work, carried out in our experimental plots and our laboratory, has a bearing on all the phases of production.

It is often done in collaboration with the University of Valencia, since we are aware of the importance of sharing aims and knowledge in order to achieve constant improvement in our wines.

We have also collaborated with the Centre for Technological and Industrial Development (CDTI), another official body, which depends on the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Together, we have carried out several projects, some of which are in the fields of sustainable and organic vineyard work, clonal selection of the Bobal variety and the selection of yeasts coming from organic cultures.

In addition, we constantly conduct quality audits and food safety to optimize and improve all processes.

Our team

Working as a team counts more for us than anything else. These are the people in charge of each department:

Working as a team counts more for us than anything else. These are the people in charge of each department.