Hello,
Why would anyone voluntarily leave Spain's most famous wine appellation? Juan Carlos López de Lacalle did so in 2015. His answer was clear: "I want to be able to write where my wines come from." Not just "Rioja" – but the actual parcel. The slope. The soil.
What is taken for granted in Burgundy was long forbidden in the DOCa Rioja. But a new generation is breaking with the old rules. They're moving cellars to high altitudes. They're harvesting earlier. The result: wines with Atlantic coolness instead of Mediterranean weight.
Artadi: The Single-Vineyard Rebel
Laguardia, 620 metres above sea level. The Sierra de Cantabria shields the vineyards from the midday heat. Here Juan Carlos works with what Burgundians would call "climats": individual sites on limestone, each with its own character. Since leaving the DOCa, Artadi has been regarded as one of Spain's finest estates.
Viñas de Gain Tinto 2022
Tempranillo
Rioja Alavesa · ca. 33 €
Twelve parcels around Laguardia, all above 500 metres. The altitude preserves an acidity rarely found in Rioja. Sour cherry shifts to violet, with a hint of graphite above. The structure recalls cool-climate Pinot Noir. Fine, precise, without any weight.
Valdegines 2022
Tempranillo
Rioja Alavesa · ca. 60 €
620 metres altitude. Vines from 1945. Clay-limestone soil with pebbles. Black cherry merges with rosemary, mineral notes thread through dark chocolate. The texture? Silky, but with backbone. A wine that explains why Juan Carlos left convention behind.
Artuke: The Brothers from the Ebro
Arturo and Kike de Miguel Blanco farm 30 hectares – divided into 72 parcels. Some lie at 500 metres, others climb to 720 metres. The brothers think like Burgundians: whole-bunch fermentation, large wooden casks, minimal intervention. Their wines surprise with a freshness one doesn't expect from Spain.
Artuke Red Wine 2024
Tempranillo, Viura
Rioja Alavesa · ca. 11 €
Eleven euros for organic Rioja of this quality – absurdly good value. Red berries layer over pepper and cool minerality. Served slightly chilled, this is the perfect companion to pintxos or summer asado. At this price: buy a case.
Pies Negros 2023
Tempranillo, Graciano
Rioja Alavesa · ca. 18 €
"Black Feet" – a reverence to foot-treading. Old Tempranillo vines, complemented by a splash of Graciano for structure. Blackberry and violet, beneath liquorice and a hint of smoke. Taut, precise, without weight. This is what the new Rioja tastes like.
Tentenublo: The Wind Winemaker
Viñaspre, 620 metres above sea level. Wind lashes across the plateau. Roberto Oliván makes wines for purists. Ten hectares, biodynamic, without additions. V.L.A.V. – Vinos Libres de Alta Expresión Vinícola. Free wines with high vinicultural expression. The name is his manifesto.
V.L.A.V. Vino Tinto 2022
Tempranillo, Grenache, Viura
Rioja Alavesa · ca. 15 €
A field blend from old bush vines – this is how Rioja used to be made. Pomegranate and cherry stone, above juniper and saline minerality. No oak, no mask. Just the pure expression of a wind-swept terroir. Vibrant and unadorned.
Escondite del Ardacho El Abundillano 2023
Tempranillo, Grenache, Malvasia
Rioja Alavesa · ca. 34 €
"The Hiding Place of the Ardacho" – a single vineyard, named after the place where Roberto discovered his finest old vines. Black cherry weaves with wild oregano, slate notes thread through dark cocoa. Silky texture, impressive length. Authentic Rioja without compromise.
Remírez de Ganuza: The Perfectionist
In 1989, Fernando Remírez de Ganuza built Spain's first mechanical sorting table – "they only existed in books," he recalled. Only the shoulders of the bunches go into the wine, the tips are sorted out. An obsession with quality. The vineyards lie between 500 and 650 metres around Samaniego.
Fincas de Ganuza Reserva 2018
Tempranillo, Graciano
Rioja Alavesa · ca. 37 €
The entry point into the perfectionist's world. Tempranillo with 15% Graciano, aged 24 months in French and American oak. Black cherry and cedarwood, tobacco and a hint of leather. Polished tannins, impressive length. Classic Rioja at the highest level.
Blanco Reserva 2022
Macabeu, Malvasia
Rioja Alavesa · ca. 34 €
White Rioja? Most only know red. Fernando shows what the old varieties Macabeu and Malvasia can do. Ripe pear and white blossom, hazelnut and brioche. Fermented and aged in French oak – complex, but never heavy. A white wine that will surprise Burgundy lovers.
Artazu: The Garnacha Saviours
In 1996, Randall Graham of Bonny Doon convinced Juan Carlos López de Lacalle of Garnacha's forgotten potential. Together they founded Artazu in Navarra. Biodynamic, pre-phylloxera vines, altitudes up to 600 metres. Living proof that Navarra can do more than cheap rosé.
Pasos de San Martin 2016
100% Garnacha
Navarra · ca. 20 €
Pure Garnacha from bush vines that have never seen phylloxera – now with almost ten years of bottle age. Dried cherry and bay leaf, tobacco and undergrowth. The fruit has transformed, the tannins have become velvety. A wine that shows what Garnacha can become with time.
Santa Cruz de Artazu 2023
100% Garnacha
Navarra · ca. 41 €
The single vineyard, the flagship. Pre-phylloxera vines, over a hundred years old, own-rooted on limestone at 580 metres altitude. Raspberry and rose petals, lavender and graphite. A finesse of tannins like great Pinot Noir. A wine that proves Garnacha belongs among the world's great varieties.
One sip of Santa Cruz de Artazu, and suddenly it smells of rosemary and sun-warmed limestone. The Garnacha vines stand somewhere between Pamplona and Logroño – pre-phylloxera, over a hundred years old. Far away, yet as close as the next sip.
All wines from Rioja & Navarra
Salud and warmest wishes from Berlin,
David and the team at
Living Wines
P.S.: These wines demand the right glass. The Zalto Bordeaux gives Tempranillo and Garnacha the space they deserve.
Questions, requests, advice?
Simply reply to this email. The boss reads personally.