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Located in Spain’s northwest province of Zaragoza, 200
miles to the west of Barcelona, DO Campo de Borja is physically
a continuation of southern Navarra, south of the Ebro River.
It is an area rich in winemaking history which, like several
other lesser known DO regions in Spain, has weathered serious
hardships but is now poised to emerge as a region for quality
Spanish wines. The rugged, mountainous area is delimited by
the snow-capped mountains of the Sierra del Moncayo mountains,
and the vineyard sites that line these are situated between
350 and 700m in elevation. This is a very favourable condition
for growing extremely ripe grapes in a dry environment free
of rot or pests. It is also an area marked by an extreme continental
climate, widely contrasting day/night temperatures, scarce
rainfall at under 400mm/year, this dynamic making it critical
for developing ripe grape skins with aromatic flavour and
complexity and structure. Soils are poor, composed of brown,
limey, calcareous, sandy limestone soil that is well-drained
and porous (allowing air access to the vine’s rootstocks),
rich in organic matter and nutrients. The soils near the Moncayo
range contain more clay, ferrous minerals and stones. 75%
of DO Campo de Borja red wine production is made from Garnacha.
Founded in 1956, Bodegas Santo
Cristo is now a modern winery owning about 1200 hectares of
vineyards of autochthonous Garnacha,
Tempranillo,
Syrah, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Mazuelo
and Macabeo.
Prime vineyards cover terraces along the Huecha River and
the Plasencia Plateau, in an area designated as the Somontano
de Moncayo. Significant investment recently in vineyard management
and new technology has provided Bodegas Santo Cristo with
the necessary equipment and modern installations with over
780 Bordeaux casks of American oak, to produce excellent quality,
modern, stylish wines which are becoming highly regarded in
international markets.
NEW!
Click on the underlined grape varieties
for more information.
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