LA RIOJA ALTA ALAVESA
In 1995, a century after five winemaking families combined to form the winery society of La Rioja Alta S.A., the company expanded into Rioja Alavesa, founding the Torre de Oña estate. Here, with old bush-trained Tempranillo, they produce a more modern style of Rioja where the terroir lends itself to a fuller, riper style of wine that is complemented by the use of French oak and shorter maturation. The Estate is an innovative ‘chateau’ concept, established long before the rise of single-vineyard Rioja, producing site-specific wine in contrast to the traditional blends of La Rioja Alta. Originally under the control of technical director Julio Saenz, today the winemaking is led by Alejandro Lopéz, named as one of the Top 10 next-generation Spanish winemakers by Pedro Ballasteros MW in Decanter magazine.