Wine from La Osa | Appellation | Spain | Bonhomie Wine

La Osa

La Osa

Following ten years of experience tending to the vineyards her brothers planted and working in her family’s winery, Bodegas Tampesta, the very dynamic Noelia de Paz is realizing her independent La Osa mission: Produce expressive, small production wines from her native DO Tierra de León. Noelia carefully elaborates some of Spain’s mostly harshly ignored varieties, Prieto Picudo (Tinto) and Albarín (Blanco), in the Municipal of Valdevimbre in the southwest of León, within the Province of Castilla y León.

Also a student to many neighboring viticultores and winemakers, Noelia has spent the last several years collaborating with friends throughout her travels to produce various gems from the vineyards of neighbors in DO’s in Bierzo and Rías Baixas.

Noelia preserves the authenticity of the land by respecting the work and the experience of the landowners from generations before her, while using her experience in the winery to reach full expression. Noelia sources fruit from long-time friends and farmers who use traditional vineyard practices and avoid mechanical intervention as much as possible.

The Wines

Trasto Tinto Tierra de Leon

100% prieto picudo planted at 800-900 meters to clay and white stone soils. Hand harvested, hand sorted, and de-stemmed. Natural yeast fermentation in a 5,000 liter tank, maceration lasts for 20 days with daily pump-overs for minimal extraction. Then pressed into neutral barrels for four months. 10% of the previous year’s vintage is kept in barrel and blended back in for complexity and balance.

Trasto Blanco Tierra de Leon

100% albarin planted at 750 meters to clay and white stone soils. Hand harvested at the end of September, hand sorted and fully de-stemmed. Natural yeast fermentation in 5,000 liter steel tanks for 15-20 days. Aged on lees for 5 months in used French barrels. The wine is then filtered and bottled.

Trasto Rosado Tierra de Leon

100% prieto picudo from a dry-farmed, 20 ha parcel in Gordoncillo in the South of the Léon DO. In 2019 the harvest came ten days early. Hand-harvested and fully de-stemmed. Fermented with natural yeast in stainless steel with three hours of skin contact.

‘Polar’ Rias Baixas

100% albariño planted at 100 meters to sand and granite soils. Hand harvested, hand sorted, and fully de-stemmed, direct to press. Natural yeast fermentation in 5,000 liter stainless steel tanks, then in February after a short time on lees the wine is filtered. Before bottling 15% of the previous years vintage, which had aged in large foudre for one year, is blended into the new vintage.

Grizzly’ Tierra de Leon

100% prieto picudo planted at 800-900 meters to clay and white stone soils. Hand harvested, hand sorted, and 80% de-stemmed. Natural yeast fermentation for 25 days with daily pump over in tank. 30 day maceration. Aged 12 months in used 225 liter French barrels. 15% of previous vintage, aged in barrel, is blended in for balance.

‘Pardo’ Bierzo

100% mencia planted at 500-550 meters to clay and sandy soils. Hand harvest, hand sorted, 100% whole cluster. Natural yeast fermentation for 15-20 days with daily pump over in foudre. 20 day maceration. Aged 14 months in used 225 liter French barrels. Wine is un-filtered.

'El Mismo' Mencia

20-60 year old vines of 100% mencia planted at 500-550m throughout Bierzo. Dry farmed, non-certified organic vineyards with predominantly clay soils. Hand harvested, native yeast fermentation in stainless steel. 20 day maceration post-fermentation with daily pump-overs. Bottled unfiltered.