HOME   COMPANY   REGIONS and BODEGAS   VINTAGE REPORTS   AWARDS  
 
map
entrance
house
vines
vineyard
stork
tanks
viewing
 
 

Bodegas y Viñedos Nieva
D O Rueda

 

Blanco Nieva 100% Verdejo
Blanco Nieva Pie Franco 100% Verdejo


Bodegas Viñedos de Nieva de Martue is a small estate in the village of Nieva, northwest of the city of Segovia and in the most southerly portion of DO Rueda.The village is famous for its native Verdejo, a white that is booming in bars and restaurants in Spain but relatively undiscovered by the wider world.With a thriving winemaking tradition that dates back hundreds of years to the Jeronimo monks, Nieva has a very favourable natural environment for the production of high quality white wines, with vineyards well above 900 m altitude. The climate’s special features and closeness to the Central Mountains, with peaks of 2400mgive Nieva its harsh continental climate  extreme cold winters and hot, dry summers, ideal for perfect ripening and lower risks of disease. These combined factors provide the vineyards with a special distinctive feature in the Verdejos, expressing all their potential with a captivating aromatic intensity.  It is this unique terroir that produces white wines of exceptional quality, freshness, complexity and elegance. In fact, the vineyards around Nieva are often considered the 'Grand Cru' of the terroirs of Rueda.
Most bodegas in Rueda are found in the northern part where the soil is mostly clay, but here in the southern portion the soil is almost entirely sand with lots of river stones and a clay subsoil providing excellent quality. It is because of these soils that many vines in this area survived the ravages of phylloxera which wiped out most vineyards across Europe and why one can still find some of the oldest ungrafted, pre-phylloxera Verdejo, used solely in the production of Blanco Nieva Pie Franco. Nieva only works with the finest grape varieties permitted in DO Rueda: Verdejo and Sauvignon – they own 50 hectares of Verdejo, the native variety, and 5 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc.   
Viñedos de Nieva was founded in 1989 by José María Herrero who acquired 60 hectares of vineyards which were in disarray, having been completely neglected for many years. It took a great deal of work and effort to restore these vineyards and especially to salvage many of the older vines of over 100 and up to 150 years old. In 2009, the Martue family purchased the bodega and all of its vineyards with the aim of elaborating Rueda wines in line with Martue´s philosophy of small production at the highest quality and at the best prices. It is this constant quality and the unbeatable price/quality relationship which has been the key to the success of this family winery. Viñedos de Nieva is now managed with great enthusiasm by family member Manuel González, the winery having recently been upgraded with all the latest technological advancements. Oenologist : Ignacio de Miguel.
The 2020 vintage was marked by a spring of mild temperatures and presence of rains favouring optimal growth in the vineyard. Flowering occurred in early June, announcing an abundant harvest compared to the previous vintage. High temperatures in summer helped the formation of the berries, and by mid-August the first changes in the tones of the berries took place, thus starting the veraisonRipening of grapes was favoured by the always marked temperature range between day and night, characteristic of the Nieva area, with a temperature difference of up to 18°Cnecessary to attain a balanced ripening. Only at the optimum moment of maturation, when balance between freshness and aromatic potential is achieved, is when the decision to harvest was made: 17th September for Sauvignon Blanc followed by the centennial strains of ‘Franco Pie’ pre-phylloxerra vines, and then trellised Verdejo on 6th Octoberfor a total of 342,000 kilos. To maintain the quality harvested this season, fermentations were slow and prolonged, lasting up to 28 days at controlled temperatures of 13-14°C to conserve all the organoleptic potential obtained in the vineyard resulting in intense wines with aromas of herbs, floralsexotic tropical fruitsfresh with good structure and persistence.

NEW! Click on the underlined grape varieties for more information.


BURRIDGES OF ARLINGTON ST.
WINE MERCHANTS, SHIPPERS & DISTRIBUTORS OF SPANISH WINE TO THE UK WINE TRADE. TRADE PRICE LISTS AVAILABLE ON APPLICATION

NON TRADE:
APPLY TO OUR HEAD OFFICE FOR YOUR NEAREST STOCKIST