Marqués de Valdueza

Description Marqués de Valdueza

The wine-jewel of the Family Alvarez de Toledo, near Mérida.

Regions of Marqués de Valdueza

Extremadura

Appellations of Marqués de Valdueza

Vino de la Tierra de Extremadura

Winemaker Dominique Roujou De Boubée

Owner fam.Alvarez de Toledo

Founding 2000

Links

History Marqués de Valdueza

At the beginning of 3rd millennium, the magnificent estate of Perales de Valdueza, just above Mérida, was completely restored by the family Alvarez de Toledo. This family has owned this estate since 1624; it comprises some thousands of hectares of which 40 are under vines. It is one of the most famous families in Spain and its first mentions in the archives go back to 1085. The Alvarezes de Toledo were amongst the richest land owners of the kingdom at the time of the Reyes Católicos (1474-1504) and received the titles of Duke of Alba and Marquess of Valdueza. The first title is only famous in the Low Countries. Anyway, this family was often part of history. Today’s Marquess of Valdueza is set on giving back its lustre to the property. He called back from London his son Fadrique, so that he takes the estate in his hands and improve the quality of the production. His first mission was to renovate the olive orchard. Then followed the vines; in two years - 2002 and 2003, it was completely replanted. His first wine, Marqués de Valdueza Etiqueta Azul 2006, was launched on the market in 2008. Since then, two other cuvées have been added to the range, the Valdueza and the Marqués de Valdueza Etiqueta Roja.

Marqués de Valdueza
Ctra. Extremadura A-V km 360
Badajoz
Badajoz

Varieties Marqués de Valdueza

The three varieties planted in Valdueza are Merlot (18 ha), Cabernet Sauvignon (12 ha), and Syrah (12 ha also). These very international grapes have found there a particular expression. Merlot gives very fruity wines with soft tannins. Cabernet brings beautiful aromas of lavender and violet, and in some vines, beautiful spice. Both yield a very good acidity and robust tannins. Syrah produces juicy, fresh and fruity wines, with a good acidity too. Only 18 of the 40 hectares under vine are used for the estate’s own production.

Terroir Marqués de Valdueza

The sub-soil is calcareous and appears on the surface at some places on the hills. Above this layer of limestone, clay and stony soils are to be found (these are alluvial soils brought there by the Guadiana River, which flows less than a mile away). As a result, there are three kinds of soils on the estate: clay and limestone, sand and limestone and stone and limestone (and all the different combinations between the three). All these soils are quite poor in organic compounds. The altitude of the estate varies between 235 and 355 meters; the landscape is composed of soft hills and slopes. The vine rows are oriented north-south. The planting density is only 2.650 plants per hectare. The climate is between continental and Mediterranean. Rainfall is scarce and summers are very hot (average temperature in summer: 30.5°C).

Vinification Marqués de Valdueza

Harvest is done by hand. Cold maceration (15 to 30 hours). All grapes are screened on the sorting table; manipulation is avoided at al costs, so that the berries may reach the fermentation phase in optimal conditions. The wines are aged in 225, 400 and 500 litre barrels, except a few cuvées that go into stainless steel tanks. Then, when the blend is done, these wines are exchanged with those aged in wood.

More Info

A gift box with two bottles of Marqués de Valdueza extra virgin olive oil has been given to Pope Francis by the president of the government of Extremadura. (2024)

75 cl.