Cellers Vila-Corona (D.O. Costers del Segre)

Vila Corona winery is located in the village of Vilamitjana (in the Pallars Jussà subregion of Costers del Segre D.O., in the Catalan Pyrenees) in a semi-buried warehouse dating from 1993. It is surrounded by a vineyard of 10 hectares, from which 7,35 ha were planted in 1989. The grape varieties cultivated are white Riesling and Chardonnay; and red Tempranillo (known as Ull de Llebre), Grenache, Morastell, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

CLIMATOLOGY

The cellar’s location is characterized by a Mediterranean to Continental transition climate, influenced by the surrounding mountains. All their vineyards are planted in the Tremp basin, at an aproximate altitude of 500 m. This area is bounded by elevations ranging between 1.100 and 2.080 m that creates a specific microclimate, with pronounced temperature inversions throughout the year. Winter is cold, and summer is hot during the day and cold at night; which allows for a slower ripening of the grapes.

Rainfall ranges between 500-560 ml/m2 per year, and it snows once to twice per winter. Temperature fluctuates from -14ºC to +39ºC, with an average temperature of 12.8ºC. During the harvest season, it can vary from 25ºC to 8ºC. 

SOIL

The vineyard is planted on a rocky land originated by erosion or Areny’s rock, from the Late Cretaceous and Garumnia formations. Areny´s sandstone is a quartzite composed of potassium, feldspar, quartz, quartzite, mica and fossils, all cemented with calcite. Garumnia´s formation is composed by red lutites, with minor intercalations of fine-grained channelled stoneware. This composition facilitates the drainage of the land, favourably influencing the quality of the wines.

Vila Corona wines:

Llabustes Chardonnay 2012 (white) – 100% Chardonnay. Short skin maceration followed by a fermentation at a controlled temperature of 15ºC for 15 days.

Llabustes Ull de Llebre 2009 (red) – 100% Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo). Maceration and 12-day alcoholic fermentation at a controlled temperature of 25ºC. It ages in American oak barrels for four months.

Llabustes Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (red) – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Mechanised harvest in October, and alcoholic fermentation at a controlled temperature of 25ºC for 15 days. It ages for nine months in American oak 300 liters casks.

Llabustes Merlot 2009 (red) – 100% Merlot. Mechanised harvest in September, and alcoholic fermentation at a controlled temperature of 25ºC for 15 days. It ages for eight months in American oak 300 liters casks.

Tu Rai... 2011 (red) – Garnatxa Negra, Morastell, Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo). Manual harvest in the mid to late October. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature. It ages for five months in oak barrels.

Llabustes Riesling 2012 (white) – 100% Riesling. Fermented in 300 liters oak casks for 40 days, and later bâtonnage.