Ismael Gozalo Palomo represents the 5th generation of winegrowers in Nieva, Segovia. He cultivates the pre-phylloxera and non-grafted Verdejo vines planted since 1748. They draw their nutrients from the sand, limestone, slate and clay soils that come from a mountain range over 180 million years old and at an altitude of between 800 and 900 m.
Ismael cultivates the vines, some of which are over 100 years old, using organic farming methods with minimal intervention. The vineyard covers 27 hectares and the yields are very low, varying around 35 hl/ha. Working the fields in the same way as our grandparents did, knowing that to produce good wines, one must first observe the passage of time through the vines and respect their cycles. To do this, he is inspired by the philosophy of Biosinergias, which believes in the destiny and balance between the soil, the plant and the fruit. The harvest is done manually.
In 1998, Ismael started to develop his first wines on the fringe of the family estate. Young, fresh Verdejo wines with a focus on varietal typicity. He was first known for his outstanding work at Ossian Estate, DO Rueda, which he co-founded in 2004. However, it was not until he left Ossian that he was finally able to focus all his energies on his MicroBio project. MicroBio refers to the biological process at the centre of creating the personality of the wine, with an emphasis on varietal expression and terroir typicity. Known as 'El Mago de las Verdejos' (The Magician of Verdejo), he seeks to create authentic wines with a soul that truly represent the vintage and the beauty of the terroir from which the grapes were grown.
In this former monastery in Nieva, which serves as his winery, he accompanies wines made with indigenous yeasts and no inputs. He uses a variety of winemaking methods to create a wide range of wines (stainless steel tanks, barrels, tuns, amphorae, demijohns, pellicular maceration, oxidative ageing, etc). Ismael uses only a minimal dose of sulphur, when necessary, and does not clarify or filter the wines. In addition to the white wines from Verdejo, he also works with Mencia grapes from Bierzo, Rufete de la Sierra de Salamanca, Grenache from Gredos and three red varieties (Tempranillo, Merlot and Syrah) from his vineyard in Nieva.
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