The area around Murero, where this winery is located, has a considerable heritage of old Garnacha vineyards. Due to the rugged mountainous terrain, the vines are planted in small plots of land at over 900 metres elevation.
Sommos Garnacha was created in 2015, following the purchase of the Vinae Mureri winery by the Aragonese agri-food group Costa. The new owners, who changed the name of the company to focus on the region's main grape variety, realised that a significant part of the best old vineyards they were working with were outside the boundaries of the DO Calatayud. After selling these grapes for a period of time, they decided to place them at the heart of their business and leave the appellation. However, the official expansion of the production area in 2021 to include the villages of Murero, Orcajo, Daroca, Villafeliche and Manchones allowed them to return to the DO in 2022. The 2019, 2020 and 2021 vintages will be released as "Vino de España".
The company owns around 100 hectares of vineyards, ranging in age from 40 to 100 years old, and now concentrates exclusively on bush vines. Slate, the most common type of soil in the area, is poor in organic matter, has very low yields and is usually found on hillsides, with a distinction being made between grey and red slate. Another type of soil is clay-rich, with higher water retention, better resistance to drought and higher yields within the generally low yields of old vines.
Alquez (€12,5, 90,000 bottles) is Sommos' flagship red. It's made from old-vine Garnacha (the average age is 60 years), fermented in stainless steel and aged for 12 months in French oak. The premium Lamín (around 7,000 bottles, €35) offers a concentrated, mineral expression of the region, focusing on hillside Garnacha planted on grey slate. Finally, Araia and Tiaso (both under 5,000 bottles, €25 in Spain) reflect the expression of Garnacha grown on clay and slate respectively. Fragrant, savoury and friendly, Araia is aged in 600-litre French oak barrels. Tiaso, on the other hand, is aged in clay jars (tinajas) and has a mineral, juicy feel with good acidity.
The wines were named using the local lexicon or with reference to the ancient settlers of the region. While alquez was a measure of 120 litres, equivalent to the sum of 16 jugs, lamín means sweet. In the language of the Celtiberians, tiaso was the stone used to roof their houses, and araia was the name they gave to agricultural land.
The winery is open to visitors from Monday to Friday in the morning. The Costa family also owns a second winery in DO Somontano after buying Bodegas Irius in 2015. It's called Sommos.
