ClassificationRioja DOCa
VarietalsViura, Tempranillo, Garnacha
OwnerRubio family
Founded1985
Natural wineYes
NeighbourhoodNajerilla valley, Rioja Alta

Tip: Seek out the macerado white and the clarete; they are a window into Rioja styles that the big houses largely abandoned.

Location

Address: Calle Mayor 12, 26323 Cordovin, La Rioja, Spain

More hidden gems in Rioja

Pedro Balda ★ 4.4

Rioja DOCaTempranillo, GarnachaFounded 2008Pedro BaldaNaturalSan Vicente de la Sonsierra

A pioneering natural-wine grower in San Vicente de la Sonsierra making unfiltered, no-added-sulfite Rioja from old plots.

Tip: Majuelo de la Nava is the wine to find; production is tiny and these go to natural-wine specialists, not supermarkets.

Bodegas Lacus ★ 4.3

Rioja DOCaGarnacha, Tempranillo, ViuraFounded 2007Luis ArnedoECOCERTNaturalRioja Oriental

A small organic family cellar in Rioja Oriental making fresh, low-oak Garnacha and Tempranillo from Aldeanueva de Ebro.

Tip: Rioja Oriental Garnacha is the calling card here; the wines show the warmer, fruitier side of the region with restraint.

Vinedos de Paganos ★ 4.6

Rioja DOCaTempranilloFounded 1998Eguren familyBiodynamic PracticingRioja Alavesa

An Eguren-family single-vineyard estate at Paganos in Rioja Alavesa, ageing mineral Tempranillo from El Puntido and La Nieta in rock-cut cellars.

Tip: La Nieta is the cult bottle; El Puntido is the more available single-vineyard introduction to the estate's style.

Abel Mendoza Monge ★ 4.7

Rioja DOCaTempranillo, Graciano, Viura, Malvasia, Garnacha Blanca, Tempranillo BlancoFounded 1988Abel Mendoza and Maite FernandezECOCERTSan Vicente de la Sonsierra

A 37-plot grower-producer in San Vicente de la Sonsierra making precise single-variety whites and serious Graciano. A reference for left-bank Sonsierra terroir.

Tip: The white grape varietal bottlings are the connoisseur's pick; allocations are small and move through specialist merchants rather than the cellar door.

Bodega Tentenublo Wines ★ 4.6

Rioja DOCaTempranillo, Viura, Garnacha, MalvasiaFounded 2010Roberto OlivanNaturalRioja Alavesa

Roberto Olivan's low-intervention, old-vine project near Vinaspre, making vivid field-blend Rioja with spontaneous ferments and minimal sulfites.

Tip: Look for the village-and-vineyard bottlings rather than the entry wine; the Escondido and single-site cuvees show what old-vine Vinaspre can do.

Bodegas Bhilar ★ 4.6

Rioja DOCaTempranillo, Graciano, Viura, GarnachaFounded 1999David Sampedro Gil and Melanie HickmanDemeter CertifiedECOCERTRioja Alavesa

A Demeter-certified biodynamic estate at Elvillar in Rioja Alavesa, ploughed by horse, making site-driven Phincas wines from organic old vines.

Tip: The estate was certified biodynamic by Demeter in 2021; the Phincas range is the one to taste for the single-vineyard story.

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