AIURRI
Leza's character
In 2020 Alma arrives in Leza (Rioja Alavesa) to develop one of its most unique projects. Aiurri is located in one of the smallest villages in Alava, able to excite for its environment and its cultural, heritage and wine richness. Small vineyard plots with a great clonal biodiversity growing at the foot of the Toloño mountain range.
The character of Rioja Alavesa
Leza is a privileged village in the Rioja Alavesa that has large masses of vegetation and a great biological diversity. Olive trees, holm oaks and aromatic plants are part of the ecosystem and together with the vineyards they make up the landscape of the area. In this environment, Aiurri is born, the character of a magical place where wine and its culture reach every corner.
The terroir at the feet of Toloño
The orography has an important impact on the climatology of the vineyard. The mountains contribute to the creation of a climatic crossroads where continental and Atlantic conditions intermingle, preventing the humidity of the Cantabrian Sea from crossing the border and having an effect on the vineyard and the grapes. The natural and landscape heritage of the environment coexists with vestiges of the Copper Age.
Aiurri is made up of a mosaic of small plots of old vines with a great clonal biodiversity that grow in the shelter of the Sierra de Toloño. The layout of the vineyards on terraces and steep slopes allows for natural drainage and greater contact with the flow of wind and solar radiation, favoring the vine cycle.
Aiurri’s winemaking
The origin and diversity of the terroir from which the grapes are born give the wines their distinctive character. In search of the maximum expression and uniqueness of each plot and with the aspiration of Leza being recognized as a reference locality, the wines are classified into: singular vineyards, municipality wines and zone wines.
The orientation, soil structure, altitude, varieties and microclimate of each vineyard provide particular characteristics to express the best of each vineyard. The vinification by parcels allows us to increase our knowledge of each vineyard and its environment. In the winery we work with the utmost respect, with spontaneous fermentations and soft and very controlled temperature and extractions to achieve the bottling of each landscape. For malolactic fermentation and aging we use tanks of different formats: foudres, wooden, concrete and stainless steel vats and French oak barrels.
Aiurri: plot-based viticulture
Aiurri seeks to capture the essence of unique vineyards that make up one of the reference winegrowing areas in our country. Small plots of clonal biodiversity, with different orientations, soils, altitude and microclimate that are worked individually to transmit the best of each vineyard and its environment.
Loam soils with a high limestone content and a good amount of organic matter. The aim is to revalue some of the most important vineyards of the Rioja Alavesa, recovering and bringing back to life the old vineyards of Leza. A commitment to the landscape, the wine-growing culture, the heritage and its people.
