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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.