Badiola, Vino de Pueblo Laguardia L4GD4 2020

The bush vines are planted on limestone soils and sustainably grown, using minimal sprays of copper and sulphur only when required. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks and concrete vats. 42% was aged in first and second-use French barriques for eight months and the rest was aged in stainless steel tanks on fine lees. Blending and bottling took place in January 2019, producing just 7,200 bottles.

Badiola, founded in 2018, is a winery based in the heart of Rioja Alavesa which offers a new perspective on Rioja wines: here the emphasis is on site, rather than ageing. The vineyards are situated on the slopes of the Sierra Cantabria, predominantly surrounding the villages of Villabuena, Leza, Laguardia and Baños del Ebro, with each terroir producing wines with distinctive character. The vines are extremely old and low yielding; many were planted in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s and they deliver concentrated juice with a clear identity. Vines are planted on hillsides in soils with a high percentage of limestone, a characteristic that sets Alavesa apart from the rest of Rioja, together with high altitude and vineyard age. The winemaking philosophy is to obtain very pure, fresh and well-textured wines that reflect their origin.