Dominio del Aguila

As a young student of oenology, Jorge Monzón traveled to Burgundy and despite not speaking a word of French, he convinced Domaine La Romanée-Conti to take him on as an intern.

Returning to Ribera del Duero, Jorge worked at Vega Sicilia and Arzuaga. Jorge began purchasing old vineyards around La Aguilera all parcels in danger of being ripped up and replaced with more productive clones of Tempranillo. 

His vineyards, some planted before phylloxera, or right after it struck the vines around his home village, were planted exactly as they had been for centuries – predominantly Tempranillo with a wide genetic diversity and other varieties so obscure that they haven’t been identified yet. Ranging in age from 60-150+ years old.

Farming is certified organic. Natural yeast, whole cluster co-fermentations are the first step in the process with pigeage done by foot. After primary fermentation the wines are placed in oak barrels for malo and aging. Their cold, subterranean cellars ensure that the evolution of their wines proceeds  slowly, allowing for the development of greater complexity and nuance.