Discovering the wines of Ronda part 1: Cortijo Los Aguilares
Last month I travelled to the town of Ronda, in the Andalusian province of Málaga. It’s a pleasant two-hour bus journey from Seville with dramatic scenery as you skirt the foothills of the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park.
Ronda sits on an inland plateau looking over the deep El Tajo gorge, which separates the newer 15th century town from La Ciudad, the historic old settlement.
It’s a compact place to walk around, and has some excellent bars to eat and drink local wines. I particularly recommend Bodega San Francisco (C/Ruedo Alamada, 32) which has excellent tapas and a wide selection of rondeño wines by the glass for 2-2,50€.
The Serranía de Ronda
Ronda makes an excellent base for exploring the local winemaking scene in the Serranía de Ronda subzone of the D.O. Sierras de Málaga.
Winemaking was introduced by the Phoenicians almost 3000 years ago. The tradition of vine growing managed to survive for millennia until the end of the 19th century when the phylloxera blight wiped out production. Vines were only reintroduced at the end of the 1980s, and there are now more than 250 hectares of vineyards.
The wine sector here is experiencing a revival with the expansion of existing projects and new investment supporting the opening of new wineries.
There are almost 30 bodegas within striking distance of the town, on foot or by short taxi ride. It seems that almost all of them welcome visitors.
The area offers a unique terroir with its proximity to both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. At an average altitude of 700 metres there is a good thermal oscillation which helps to keep grapes fresh and healthy. The D.O. currently permits 38 authorised white and red varieties, a mixture of Spanish and international varieties. Soils are a mixture of limestone, clay and decomposed slate.
I visited two bodegas during my stay: Cortijo Los Aguilares and Badman Wines. Part 2 will cover Badman Wines
Cortijo Los Aguilares
The hospitality and marketing manager, Elena García Sánchez, welcomed me to the bodega which is located a few kilometres outside Ronda. It’s part of an 800-hectare estate, with 24 hectares dedicated to viticulture. There are views of the Sierra de las Nieves, as well as the holm oak forests in which groups of Iberian black pigs graze.
The vineyards here, at an altitude of 900 metres, were planted in 1999, making it one of the longest-established bodegas in the subzone.
All harvesting is manual and grapes have an organic certification. Varieties have been chosen for their capacity to adapt to the terrain and its unique microclimate.
Petit Verdot seems to have adapted particularly well here. Elena explained: “It’s not an autochthonous variety but has become one that seems to belong. At first, we used it in blends but now we make monovarietal Petit Verdot.”
The Tadeo 2020 100% Petit Verdot (14%) is now one of the bodega’s most sought-after wines. A late-maturing variety with big tannins and high acidity, it is fermented in oak barrels and concrete tanks, then aged for 15 months in French oak. It had aromas of black fruit, cassis and mint. On the palate it was fresh with controlled ripeness, and a long finish.
The Tadeo Tinaja Petit Verdot 2020 (13,5%) was equally impressive. It is aged for 12 months in clay amphora that allows an even purer expression of the variety. With a spicy nose, it was fresh, mineral and poised with fine-grained tannins. Only 1400 bottles are produced.
Cortijo Los Aguilares has received a lot of attention for its award-winning Pinot Noir, that must surely be the most southernly Pinot being made Europe. Elena explained that it’s a complicated variety to grow in such a warm climate. The cool air currents in the Sierra help, and they prune the vines to provide more leaf cover and shade for the fruit. Cold maceration and fermentation at low temperature helps preserve aromatic qualities. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to taste it as the bodega had sold all their stock.
The Pago El Espino 2020 (14%) is another of the bodega’s highly-rated wines. A blend of Petit Verdot, Syrah and Tempranillo. Aged for 15 months in French oak barrels, it had quite a complex nose with ripe fruit and hints of thyme and rosemary. The palate had smooth, rounded tannins but still with a bit of grip. A fresh wine with some volume but not overpowering.
The Tinto CLA 2021 (14%) is a young, very fresh coupage of Tempranillo and Syrah. The grapes are selected by hand then fermented and aged for four months in concrete tanks. With a nose of red fruit, spice and balsamic notes of thyme and bay leaf. Easy to drink, good acidity, no oak influence and quite moreish.
The Rosado 2021 CLA (14%) is made from Tempranillo, Syrah and Merlot. Fermentation is at a low temperature with just a few hours of contact with the skins, before resting in concrete tanks. It had a very fruity nose of strawberry and raspberry, and was balanced with good acidity. A fresh and tasty rosado, which would be perfect on summer days.
I tried two more wines that are made in small quantities. A 2020 Garnacha which had nice focus and purity, with just a discreet framing of oak from its 14 months of ageing in barricas, and a 2020 Graciano which was quite delicious and one of the best wines I tasted on the visit. Dark and inky, without being overripe or too concentrated, its nose showed aromas of black fruit and liquorice. On the palate it was very broad and expressive with chalky tannins and an earthy finish.
Part 2 to follow shortly…