Cortijo Los Aguilares

High-altitude wines from the picturesque Málaga mountains.

Located in the heart of the Málaga mountain range, bodega Cortijo Los Aguilares sits between the Sierra de las Nieves and the Sierra de Grazalema national parks, a pristine mountainous environment over 900 metres of altitude. The area enjoys phenomenal conditions for cultivating grapes, thanks to a variety of soils and a mediterranean-continental microclimate with a diurnal temperature range up to 20 degress during ripening season. As is usually the case in Spain, the area has a long wine producing history, which was dramatically interrupted by the outbreak of phylloxera in the late XIXth century. The effects of the plague were so devastating that it took decades to put the region back on track. As for quality wine production, it did not start until the 1980s.

The main facility of bodega Cortijo Los Aguilares is surrounded by a magnificent 800-hectare estate in which vines coexist with olive trees, holm oaks, forests and pastures for Iberian pigs. Planted between 1999 and 2014, the vines occupy an extesion of approximately 10 hectares, divided among three vineyards: El Encinar, El Calero and El Olivar. They include both local varieties, such as Grenache, Tempranillo and Graciano, and international ones, namely Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The vineyards are farmed following environmentally friendly techniques. In order not to hinder terroir expression, winemaking is both meticulous and minimalistic. Marketed under the DO Sierras de Málaga, the wines are fermented in stainless steel tanks and concrete diposits, after which they are usually aged in French oak barrels. In 2015, the winery started experimenting with clay amphorae, aka tinajas, with the aim of crafting ever more expressive and site specific wines.

Year of foundation: 1999
Address: Puente de la Ventilla, Ctra. Ronda Campillos, Km. 35
City: Ronda
Province: Málaga
Zip code: 29400
Country: Spain
Phone number: + 34 952 874 457
www.cortijolosaguilares.com
Guided visits? Yes
Wine tourism services? No