Vintage: 2020.
D.O: Bierzo.
Grape variety: Godello.
Soil: sandy clay.
Area altitude: 680 m. in Arganza.
Age of vineyards: more than 100 years.
Climate: continental and atlantic climate.
Planting density: 4.000 - 7.000 plants per hectare.
Harvest: manual.
Irrigation: no.
Production: 2.000 - 3.000 kg/ha.
Date of harvest: first week of September, 2020.
Fermentation: 500 and 600 liters French oak barrels.
Temperature control: no.
Filtration: no.
Alcohol: 13%
Production: 3.215 bottles.
 
La Salvación is a godello, harvested from centenary
strains that has grown between strains of mencía. Its
name perfectly describes the desire to recover the
centennial godello grapes that are forgotten in the
vineyards after the harvest of the mencía.
The centenarian godello strains are unusual in El Bierzo.
It should be added that the bunches of small size and
maturation, which can occur 15 days before a godello of
30 years, promote this distinction. The frame of planting
of these centennial vineyards is 1,20 m x 1,20 m.
The yield of the old godello is very peculiar, the pressing
of the grape does not reach 50% of its yield, compared
to the mencía grape, which can reach up to 70%.
La Salvación 2020 comes, for the first time, from a
single plot of Arganza, a municipality located in the
North of the region, with more altitude and therefore
freshness. The vineyard, almost one hectare with 110
years old, constitutes the largest vineyard of old godello
in Bierzo.
The 2020 vintage probably is the best La Salvación
vintage of the six existing ones.
Characteristics of the vintage:
A rainy autumn (more than 500 liters/m2
between
October and Decembre 2019) gave away to a dry and
warm winter, which led to an advance of about 15 days
in the budding of the vines, compared to the 2019
vintage. It had been tears since the temparature in
winter had been so spring-like. It hardly snowed in the
mountains surrounding El Bierzo.
April broughts some showers, but it was atypical
compared to the previous vintages.
Summer arrived with a cool June, a warm July, with
nights with average temperatures fo even 20 degrees
Celsius. On July 11th there was a storm with hailstorm
that damaged areas such El Llano, El Foco and even
touched El Rapolao a little. The cloud crossed the town
diagonall, passing through these places. At harvest, we
were surprised by the quality of the grapes.
The vintage stands out for being a year of mild
temperatures, with round wines from the beginning.The
harvest started on August 27th. It was a quick harvest
to avoid concentration and alcohol in the wines. This is a
great quality vintage of white wines in El Bierzo, and reds
are characterised by their elegance, fruit and finesse.
Elaboration :
The harvesting of the plot o was the first week of
September. Manual collection; destemming and
pressing of the grape to leave the liquid decanting for 24
hours before entering the barrels, where it will ferment.
Unlike previous vintages, no maceration is carried out
before pressing.
It ferments in barrels, without batonage, temperature
control or added yeasts.
After 12 months the barrels were emptied by bottling
3.215 bottles without filtering or stabilizing.
Aging: 12 months in French oak barrels.
Bottling: October 9 th, 2021.