Félix Solís, S.A. makes young red, white and rosé wines. It also specialises in crianzas, reservas and gran reservas - wines which have been aged in barrels in accordance with the times set by the Regulating Council of DO Valdepeñas for its wines.In all cases, the selection of the grape, even before they are picked, is the key to a successful harvest and top-quality wines. The rest is the hands of our experts who use state-of-the-art technologies in oenology.
Within a few minutes of their delivery to the winery and thanks to a powerful electronic refractometer, the various qualities of grape are separated in accordance with their vinification, with each and every process subjected to rigorous control.As grapes are picked in summer, certain wines require night harvesting with the cooler temperatures, although all the automatic fermentation tanks used are equipped with independent and computer-controlled refrigeration systems as is the process of pump over - a practice which involves periodically breaking the skin cap that forms during fermentation and other oenological tasks.
With regards young wines, every effort is made to accentuate the particular characteristics of each variety. The wines aged in barrels tend to be more complex and structured, although the importance of the fruit itself is never lost.
GENERALLY SPEAKING, OUR WINES PRESENT THE FOLLOWING COMMON CHARACTERISTICS:
Our WHITES: The majority of these wines are made using the local Airen variety and Viura or Macabeo, although we also use Chardonnay varietals. As with most white wines, they are best consumed during their first year of life, thereby maintaining their fresh fruity notes.
Their primary aromas are developed and intensified by leaving the grapes to macerate for a short period with their skins and through fermentation at a low temperature in stainless steel tanks. We offer a broad range of whites which differ according to the variety used, medium dry wines and wines which have been fermented in oak barrels.Our ROSÉS: The vinification of our rosé wines, although exclusively elaborated from red varieties (mainly Tempranillo), is more similar to that of white rather than to that of red wines. Once the must has been released from the red grape and before alcoholic fermentation has occurred, the same is macerated together with the grape skins for a few hours, depending on the intensity of colour desired. The tank is then drained, separating the liquid from solid elements. In this way their characteristic rosé colour is obtained along with a touch of astringency, and the freshness of young white wines is combined with the body associated with reds.
Our YOUNG REDS: Grape skin is the best-kept secret of all appreciated red wines. It contains the pigments, the aromas and the tannins. One of the main differences between making white and red wines lies in the fact that the must ferments in contact with the grape skin and is later drained and pressed in accordance with the quality desired. Reds are generally destemmed so that the wines are not excessively rough or astringent.Félix Solís, S.A. prepares its red wines with the red fruit aromas typical of Tempranillo, although other varieties are also used. In some cases, the young wines are kept in oak barrels for two or three months to obtain subtle notes of toasted oak.
Our RED CRIANZAS: Both primary aromas and the fresh aroma of new wood can be detected in our crianzas, ideal for creating concentrations of ripe red fruits with a spicy component. The results are wines with good mouthfeel, abundant tannic expression, fleshy, and with length and a prolonged aftertaste.
As established by the Regulating Council of DO Valdepeñas, this type of wine must be aged for at least six months in oak barrels and at least one year in bottles which must be regularly turned.Félix Solís, S.A. are especially noteworthy because they still preserve their clear and bright ruby red colour in which an inkling of ripe cherry can be detected. The Tempranillo is the star variety of this production area and gives the wine its ripe red fruit aromas which mix with the vanilla and spicy notes obtained from its ageing in oak barrels.
In DO Valdepeñas, reservas must be aged for at least a year in oak barrels and then left to rest for at least two years in bottles, thus completing the so-called “reductive winemaking” process after the oxidative stage spent in wood.
Our RED GRAN RESERVAS: The long ageing process of at least two years in oak barrels and three years in bottles results in intensely ruby red wines with brick red tones, which have maintained their red fruit notes and boast warm mouthfeel and perfect tannic balance.
Among the range of gran reservas offered by Félix Solís, S.A., worth special mention are its limited gran reservas de familia, which are only bottled in those years when the quality of the fruit is exceptional. For example, to date the Viña Albali Gran Reserva de Familia, has only been produced in the years 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1998. These wines are usually blended with a minimum amount of Cabernet Sauvignon.
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