Bodegas y Viñedos Artadi de Laguardia
In Rioja Juan Carlos López de Lacalle, oenologist and founder of the Artadi group, has succeeded in making unique wines in an exciting and creative way. This is not least thanks to a distinctive style and his passion for environmentally friendly viticultural methods, which guarantee the future of winemaking and the authenticity of his wines.
This private cooperative project was founded by a group of winemakers in 1985, and has since 1992 been owned by the Lacalle y Laorden family. The vineyards, some of which are over 90 years old and are mainly planted with the Tempranillo grape, stretch from Laguardia to Elvillar de Álava. Some of the area is also dedicated to the white Viura varietal, which is typical of the Rioja region and goes into creating the Viñas de Gain Blanco. Thanks to the location of the vineyards, some of which are over 600 metres above sea level, the grapes benefit not only from optimal sunshine but also from the cooling Atlantic air.
White wines from Bodegas y Viñedos Artadi de Laguardia
Red wines from Bodegas y Viñedos Artadi de Laguardia
from Bodegas y Viñedos Artadi de Laguardia
His knowledge and passion - Juan Carlos López de Lacalle represents the fourth generation of a winemaking family - has also been put to good use in other wine-growing regions of Spain, including Navarre with Bodegas y Viñedos Artazu, and far to the north in Gipuzkoa with Izar-Leku Mahastiak, both of which belong to the Artadi group. Not to be forgotten of course is Viña El Pison, produced under the name Viñedos Lacalle y Laorden, which was the first red wine from Rioja to be awarded 100 Parker points.
Artadi produces unique single-vineyard wines in this region, with the aim of reflecting the typicality of the soil characteristics - mainly austere clay and limestone - and exposure to the sun in the various wines, thus giving each its own individual character. The vineyards are exclusively cultivated using sustainable and organic methods. The result is wines which inspire with their wide-ranging aromatic variety, round and polished tannins, pure minerality, elegance and balance. They also have great ageing potential.
In 2015 Artadi left the DOCa Rioja organisation, which according to Juan Carlos López de Lacalle is a great project for the Rioja wine-growing region, but one that makes it impossible for Artadi to adhere to the principles by which it wishes to operate. True to the maxim that "Nature knows nothing about regulations or administrative control systems," this departure has not harmed the Artadi wines, but has had the effect of making them even more characterful individualists.
Producer
Domaine Tollot-Beaut / Nathalie Tollot
This fine family domaine has existed since the end of the 19th century. Initially, there were only a few vineyards in the village of Chorey. As time went on, it developed into 24 hectares in the communes of Beaune, Savigny and Aloxe-Corton. The estate is now run by cousins Nathalie, Jean-Paul, and Olivier Tollot.
Château Les Valentines
Not far from the picturesque towns of Nice and Saint-Tropez, the owners of Château Les Valentines, Gilles and Pascale Pons, produce wines that reflect the summery lightness and intense sensuality of the beautiful Provence countryside.
Dominio de Pingus
The first Pingus was bottled in 1995. This limited production wine from Ribera del Duero made history with a legendary rating from Robert Parker Junior (1998): "One of the greatest young red wines I have ever tasted." The vintage is also at the centre of a somewhat mythical-sounding story – the freighter carrying a quarter of the limited production sank off the Azores, with the wine ending up in Davy Jones's locker at the bottom of the sea.