Winery Overview
In early 1945, Julio Ramírez de la Piscina followed in his parents’ footsteps by continuing to cultivate his family’s vineyards in San Vicente de la Sonsierra. With the grapes from these vines, he started producing traditional Rioja wines.
In 1961, Julio moved to Bilbao with his wife Angela and began selling his wine in the old Bodeguilla Riojana in the Plaza del Corazón de María.
In 1973, Bodegas Ramírez was officially founded. Seven years later, the fourth generation of the Ramírez de la Piscina family took over management of the winery, and in 1987, the name was changed to Bodegas Ramírez de la Piscina. The name change honors the family's historic surname, which is an ancient aristocratic Medieval Riojan name, originating from a 12th Century Romanesque church near the vineyards called Santa María de la Piscina.
All the vineyards are estate owned and most of the plantings are Tempranillo on high density trellises. The oldest Tempranillo vineyards are head trained, and the family owns a few small plants of Garnacha, Viura, and Malvasia which are used for the Rosado and Blanco. Ramirez de la Piscina champions the tradition of aging classified, traditional styled Rioja.
Part of the Jorge Ordonez portfolio
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Vineyard
The estate's vineyards are planted in San Vicente de la Sonsierra and Ábalos, two zones at the foothills of the Sierra Cantabria mountain range that are famous for their limestone rich calcareous clay soils. These soils and the high altitude (up to 600M) result in a limited area of cultivation that are responsible for producing extremely elegant age-worthy Tempranillo.
Terroir
Ramirez de la Piscina works with estate grown vineyards planted in San Vicente de la Sonsierra and Ábalos, two of the most sought after sub-appelations in Rioja. The soils are particularly favored in this part of Rioja for their extremely high limestone content that balances out the clay. These limestone rich soils produce very mineral, elegant wines that age incredibly well.
Viticulture
The viticultural is sustainable. No pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides are used, and the vines are dry farmed. The vast majorit of the vineyards are cordon trained on trellis, with a small percentage of head trained vines in the oldest sites.
