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Buy Wine from Bodega y Viñedos Mas Asturias
Bodega y Viñedos Mas Asturias is located in Villafranca del Bierzo, within the D.O. Bierzo, in the region of Castilla y León, Spain. This project was founded by José Mas, a Catalan winegrower with a solid technical background.
José studied Agricultural Engineering in Lérida and later graduated in Oenology at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Montpellier. After a successful career that took him to work at Château Pétrus in Bordeaux and in other wine regions such as South Africa and Pomerol, José Mas decided, in 2005, to return to Spain with the intention of finding old vineyards with the potential to produce wines for ageing.The place he chose was El Bierzo, a region that fascinated him because of the presence of old vineyards and a special microclimate. When he settled in Villafranca del Bierzo, he started looking for plots that could produce wines with character and ageing capacity, finding Mencía vineyards, some of which date back to 1904. Since then, his project has gained recognition, producing high quality wines with a marked Bordeaux profile.
Vineyards
The Mas Asturias vineyards cover some 5 hectares, divided into several plots located in different areas of Villafranca del Bierzo and its surroundings, such as Valtuille de Arriba. The soils of these vineyards are mostly clay soils, a type of soil that José Mas has preferred as opposed to the more common slate soils in the region, as he believes that clay offers a better support for the production of age-worthy wines.
The climate of the area is a crucial factor in the quality of the wines. The microclimate of El Bierzo is a combination of Atlantic and continental influences, which allows the Mencía grape to ripen well without losing acidity, offering balance in the wine. The vines are old, some more than 100 years old, goblet-trained and managed organically, without the use of systemic products and with minimal copper and sulphur treatments.
José Mas has also chosen to vinify each plot independently, creating seven lots that ferment in concrete and stainless steel tanks. This method allows him to capture the diversity of terroirs and give complexity to his flagship wine, Massuria.
Philosophy
José Mas 's winemaking philosophy is based on respect for the terroir and minimal intervention. His wines reflect his training and experience in Bordeaux, where he learned the importance of old vines and careful handling in the winemaking process. For José, the flavour and quality of the grapes are fundamental, so he focuses on techniques that respect their natural character.
In the winery, he uses indigenous yeasts for fermentation, which ensures that the wines reflect their environment. The wine is not filtered or fined, which maintains its purity, and a minimal dose of sulphites is applied at bottling (around 25 mg). The fermentation process usually takes three weeks, and the wine is then aged in French oak barrels, one third of which are new, the rest having been used in previous Massuria vintages. José's aim is to create wines that can age in the bottle and continue to evolve over time.
The leitmotiv of the Mas Asturias project is to create a single wine, but to make it better and better. This minimalist approach, which avoids mass production and focuses on quality and continuous improvement, is what has led José to produce a wine with an elegant, structured but balanced character, which can be enjoyed both in its youth and after years of bottle ageing.
With a limited production of around 20,000 bottles a year, Mas Asturias wines can already be found in some of the best restaurants in Spain and in specialised shops, where various vintages can be found, each showing the evolution of the project and the vision of its creator.
This artisanal approach, coupled with José Mas ' international experience and respect for the terroir, make Bodega y Viñedos Mas Asturias a unique project in El Bierzo, where tradition and modernity combine to produce wines with a distinctive hallmark, capable of accompanying great dishes and offering an unforgettable tasting experience.
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Buy Wine from Bodega y Viñedos Mas Asturias
Bodega y Viñedos Mas Asturias is located in Villafranca del Bierzo, within the D.O. Bierzo, in the region of Castilla y León, Spain. This project was founded by José Mas, a Catalan winegrower with a solid technical background.
José studied Agricultural Engineering in Lérida and later graduated in Oenology at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Montpellier. After a successful career that took him to work at Château Pétrus in Bordeaux and in other wine regions such as South Africa and Pomerol, José Mas decided, in 2005, to return to Spain with the intention of finding old vineyards with the potential to produce wines for ageing.The place he chose was El Bierzo, a region that fascinated him because of the presence of old vineyards and a special microclimate. When he settled in Villafranca del Bierzo, he started looking for plots that could produce wines with character and ageing capacity, finding Mencía vineyards, some of which date back to 1904. Since then, his project has gained recognition, producing high quality wines with a marked Bordeaux profile.
Vineyards
The Mas Asturias vineyards cover some 5 hectares, divided into several plots located in different areas of Villafranca del Bierzo and its surroundings, such as Valtuille de Arriba. The soils of these vineyards are mostly clay soils, a type of soil that José Mas has preferred as opposed to the more common slate soils in the region, as he believes that clay offers a better support for the production of age-worthy wines.
The climate of the area is a crucial factor in the quality of the wines. The microclimate of El Bierzo is a combination of Atlantic and continental influences, which allows the Mencía grape to ripen well without losing acidity, offering balance in the wine. The vines are old, some more than 100 years old, goblet-trained and managed organically, without the use of systemic products and with minimal copper and sulphur treatments.
José Mas has also chosen to vinify each plot independently, creating seven lots that ferment in concrete and stainless steel tanks. This method allows him to capture the diversity of terroirs and give complexity to his flagship wine, Massuria.
Philosophy
José Mas 's winemaking philosophy is based on respect for the terroir and minimal intervention. His wines reflect his training and experience in Bordeaux, where he learned the importance of old vines and careful handling in the winemaking process. For José, the flavour and quality of the grapes are fundamental, so he focuses on techniques that respect their natural character.
In the winery, he uses indigenous yeasts for fermentation, which ensures that the wines reflect their environment. The wine is not filtered or fined, which maintains its purity, and a minimal dose of sulphites is applied at bottling (around 25 mg). The fermentation process usually takes three weeks, and the wine is then aged in French oak barrels, one third of which are new, the rest having been used in previous Massuria vintages. José's aim is to create wines that can age in the bottle and continue to evolve over time.
The leitmotiv of the Mas Asturias project is to create a single wine, but to make it better and better. This minimalist approach, which avoids mass production and focuses on quality and continuous improvement, is what has led José to produce a wine with an elegant, structured but balanced character, which can be enjoyed both in its youth and after years of bottle ageing.
With a limited production of around 20,000 bottles a year, Mas Asturias wines can already be found in some of the best restaurants in Spain and in specialised shops, where various vintages can be found, each showing the evolution of the project and the vision of its creator.
This artisanal approach, coupled with José Mas ' international experience and respect for the terroir, make Bodega y Viñedos Mas Asturias a unique project in El Bierzo, where tradition and modernity combine to produce wines with a distinctive hallmark, capable of accompanying great dishes and offering an unforgettable tasting experience.