This is a family wine business
run by Peter Maurer, a Jerezano of German origin. A trained agronomist, he has worked for much of his life
as technical director with Asaja, the agricultural association of Cádiz. With a lifelong passion
for viticulture, in 2007 he bought the 4.5 hectare Viña Angelita estate which lies at 30 metres
above sea level close to the Guadalquivir estuary near Lebrija with the idea of planting his own vineyards. But the soil was too salty and lacked nitrogen and organic material, so he devised ways to use rainwater to flush the salt to a nearby pond and planted cereals and legumes which were later ploughed – in to
improve the soil which he farms organically.
There are all sorts of trees and shrubs like
pines, oaks, olives, lavender, rosemary and more around the vineyard to provide the maximum
possible diversity of flora and fauna, and there are also fruit tress like figs, apples, grenadines, medlars, almonds... In only 3 years he successfully took on the by no means inconsiderable challenge of vine growing in
this salty marshland and gradually created a whole new organic ecosystem from nothing. He brought it to life. Now it sports Syrah, Petit Verdot, Merlot and
Pinot Noir.
The plan from the start was to
produce wine of maximum quality and he was the first to plant Pinot Noir in the
area. Pinot, native to Burgundy, is accustomed to more northerly climes and
higher altitudes and is a tricky grape to work with but it has acclimatised
well and is producing very good wine. Green harvesting is practised to reduce quantity and improve
quality and concentration in the bunches and takes place at the “envero” or
when the grapes begin to change colour. This obviously gives lower yields but better
wine. At harvest time the grapes are sorted and loaded into a refrigerated
lorry and taken to the bodega he rents in Vejer de la Frontera where they are sorted
again. Everything is done in the traditional way and with enormous respect for the
environment. Production is around 10,000 bottles.
Two ranges of wines are produced:
the blends which are called “De Raiz” and the monovarietals called “Peter Maurer”.
The wines have won various awards at organic wine competitions:
De Raiz Blanco: 85% Palomino and 15% Pedro Ximénez
(bought-in organic grapes)
De Raiz Tinto: Syrah, Merlot, Petit Verdot, aged 1 year in French
oak and 6 months in bottle
De Raiz Selección:
Merlot, Petit Verdot and Pinot Noir, aged 16 months in French oak
Peter Maurer Petit Verdot: 100% Petit Verdot aged in French oak for
12 months
Peter Maurer Pinot Noir: 100% Pinot Noir aged in French oak for 12
months.
Peter Maurer Tintilla: Launched in March 2017, 100% organic Tintilla aged 12 months in barrel.
Address: Puebla de Don Fadrique, Lebrija
Website: www.maurerandsons.com
Telephone: (0034) 637 091 097
