Terrior makes the difference

July 6, 2023

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wine

Everyone mentions terroir, “terruño” in Spanish, when we talk about winemaking, but… do we really know what it is? This term comes from the French term “terre”, which means ground or soil, and although this word does not only include aspects related to it, today we are going to focus only on it, although there are other factors that influence the quality and character of the wines, such as the climate, the hand of man, the vine, etc.

Knowing the type of soil in which we find ourselves is essential as it is the support that contains most of the nutrients that the vine needs and it is the availability of these nutrients and the way in which the soil supplies them that will modulate the composition of the must. Subsequently, it will be the vinification of this must, through the action of the yeasts, and the oenological decisions taken in the winery, which will be able to enhance or mitigate the organoleptic effects of this composition.

Our vineyards, located in Jumilla, have 500 hectares at an altitude between 450 and 700 metres above sea level with a variety of soils and climates, which allow us to work not only with our Monastrell, but also with other varieties such as Garnacha Tintorera, Viognier or Sauvignon Blanc among others.

This varied range of estates, with their soils, climates and varieties, will provide us with a great diversity of combinations, which will result in the wide range of wines produced by Bodegas Luzón.

Finca La Melera

Sandy soils provide elegant, aromatic, pale-coloured wines with low acidity, while limestone soils give full-bodied, round, aromatic and elegant wines. These soils are perfect for our Monastrell and Garnacha, a perfect example being Altos de Luzón, an expressive and intense wine that elegantly shows the characteristics of the La Melera terroir.

Finca El Pocico y Las Minas

It has an area of 98 ha and an altitude of 700m. Its soil is sandy, located on a bed of limestone and a lot of stone on the surface. In this estate we have Monastrell, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon blanc. This soil allows the grapes to ripen more quickly and makes the wines from these estates very aromatic and smooth, with a low alcohol content. The terroir of El Pocico and Las Minas can be appreciated in our Luzón Dulce, a deeply aromatic wine with a great complexity of aromas.

Finca Luzón

It has a surface area of 60ha. and an altitude of 650m. Its loamy sand soil with abundant limestone has a high proportion of sand, but also silt and clay, which gives the wines greater finesse and expressiveness, due to a greater coherence between the particles of the terroir. In this estate, you can find Monastrell, Syrah, Garnacha Tintorera, Garnacha, Petit Verdot, Macabeo and Viognier. Our Mina de Oro bottle, smooth and expressive, shows the typicality of this type of soil.

Finca La Traviesa

It has an area of 21 hectares and an altitude of 510 metres. Its soil, on the Santa Ana slope, has a great profusion of limestone and is very shallow.

In this estate there is only one single variety, Monastrell, from which, because this rock variety neutralises the acidity of the soil, we obtain full-bodied, round, aromatic and elegant wines such as our Alma de Luzón.

Las Ramblas

It has a surface area of 21 hectares and an altitude of 510 m. Its soil is poor in organic matter, sandy and coarse-textured, with different varieties such as Monastrell, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Macabeo. In our bottles of Luzón Colección Blanco and Monastrell 2022 you can appreciate the altitude and the type of soil, which fills them with character, freshness and a persistent finish.

In short, the terroir is the factor that gives the wine the quality of being different, by endowing it with specific and identifiable characteristics, factors that give the wine its own characteristics. Differentiation’, that is the crux of the matter. Terroir makes a difference and in our winery, it shows.

Did you know all the magic behind terroir?