Alto Moncayo Aquilon

Aquilon bottle image

Wine Description

The wines of Alto Moncayo are crafted to express the unique terroir of windswept high elevation Campo de Borja DO; and to serve as a benchmark for world class Old Vine Garnacha.

Aquilón is "The jewel in the Crown" a selection of the best barrels from the best lots. The vines are 60-100 years old.

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Acclaim
“One of the finest examples of Garnacha in the country, Aquilon is made from 60-to 100-year-old bush-trained vines. It offers bold aromas of purple plum, black tea, olive paste and fennel pollen. It is full on the palate and has a sense of earthiness underlying cassis, blackberry, aniseed and mocha flavors. Simultaneously powerful and elegant, there is an incredible sense of tension between soft acidity and lavish tannins.” – (Cellar Selection) — Wine Enthusiast, Oct 2024
“A lovely combination of ripe fruit and woodsy spice notes leads on the nose and continues on the palate, revealing layers of baked black cherry, plum, licorice and espresso flavors alongside fern, moss, smoke and iron accents. A graceful, supple red, with a creamy edge to the sculpted tannins as they emerge to firm the spiced finish.” — Wine Spectator, Aug 2024
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Privately owned vineyards mainly in the Tabuenca and Borja area.
Soil composition
Iron-rich, Gravel, and Stony
Elevation:
1,200-2,400 feet
Exposure:
Southern
Harvest time:
Late October/Early November
First vintage of this wine:
2002
Bottles produced of this wine:
640
Average Vine Age:
80
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Winemaking & Aging
Prefermentation Technique:
Cold maceration
Maceration length:
7-8
Varietal composition:
100% Garnacha
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
12-15 days
Fermentation temperature:
77-86 °F
Malolactic fermentation:
Yes
Type of aging container:
Barrels
Size of aging container:
225 Liters for the French Oak and 300 Liters for the American
Type of oak:
French and American
Length of aging before bottling:
24
Age of Aging Container:
New
Total SO2
55
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.3
Acidity:
6.05 g/L
Alcohol:
15.9 %
Dry extract:
26.6 g/L
Total SO2
55
Residual sugar:
1.4 g/L
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Wine Production

The selected highest quality grapes are placed into small stainless-steel tanks of 7 tons capacity. The must is basket pressed and fermentation is finished in new French and American oak where it complets the malolactic fermentation. Wine is aged in the barrels for 24 months before bottling.

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About the Vineyard

Vineyards in Tabuenca and Borja, planted with indegenous clones of Garnacha starting in the 1920s.