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Abel Mendoza:
The godfather of Rioja’s young generation
Abel is now 65, yet still the great inspiration for Rioja’s young generation.
What energy he has! He was due to attend our Spring Tasting, but unfortunately surgery last month prevented that. He is recovering well, and we very much hope to welcome him in 2027 at our Spring Tasting.

I still remember my first visit to his home in San Vicente de la Sonsierra as if it were yesterday. That was in 1998. You rang the large front door and simply walked in. Then a long staircase down to his sanctuary: a tiny vinification space housing both his concrete vats and his barriques. All on barely 50 m².

He did and still does everything himself, together with his wife Maite, who is also an oenologist. Abel is a man of few words, very straightforward and no-nonsense. Political appellation “games” have never interested him.

Because of his limited production, he never played the “Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva” game that defined Rioja in the 1980s and 1990s.

But that very fact forced him to focus on terroir rather than ageing. In that sense, he was a major forerunner of Rioja’s youngest generation, now deeply inspired by the Burgundian philosophy of vinifying by terroir and individual parcel.

Young winemakers such as José Gil or Arturo of Artuke cite Maite and Abel as their great examples.
For us too, he has long embodied the phrase we use as a subtitle: “Vinos de Viticultor”.
Because that is exactly what he is!

Their top crus, the famous “Grano a Grano” wines, had been sold out with us since the summer; it was therefore high time the new vintages arrived.

They have not yet been scored, but believe me, they are every bit as good as the previous vintages.

And there is also a surprise! A new top wine called “52-60”, from a parcel in Labastida, with both red and a small amount of white grapes (field blend), all from vines planted between 1952 and 1960. So just slightly older than he is 😉.
A few quotes from R. Parker:

“Abel Mendoza and his wife María Teresa "Maite" Fernández keep crafting some of the most exciting wines from Rioja.“

“The 2018 Graciano Grano A Grano is nothing short of amazing, because I wonder how this variety that everybody says is very difficult to ripen can deliver a wine like this is a vintage like 2018. I think the answer is a lot of work in the vineyard, which is the secret of what Mendoza does.”

“Abel is one of the true vignerons of Rioja and the whole of Spain.”

Below an overview of the new top crus that have arrived
Only 60 bottles per cuvée available!
75 cl.
Abel Mendoza Tempranillo Grano a Grano

Abel Mendoza Tempranillo Grano a Grano 2022

La Rioja
Abel Mendoza
D.O.C. Rioja
75 cl.
red
62,62 € /pc
51,75 € excl. VAT
Assembly

Tempranillo (100%)

Content

75 cl.

Year

2022

Description

This micro-vinification wine is made with hand selected grapes (berry by berry) from the best and oldest vines. The production is only one to two barrels per year. There are only 60 bottles available for the Belgian market!

75 cl.
Abel Mendoza Graciano Grano a Grano

Abel Mendoza Graciano Grano a Grano 2022

La Rioja
Abel Mendoza
D.O.C. Rioja
75 cl.
red
62,62 € /pc
51,75 € excl. VAT
Product not available
Assembly

Graciano (100%)

Content

75 cl.

Year

2022

Description

A micro-vinification from selected grapes, berry by berry, in the best parcels of old vines. Only one to two barrels are produced each year, so only 60 bottles are available for Belgium. One of the only Rioja wines made with 100% Graciano.

75 cl.
Abel Mendoza Graciano/Garnacha Grano a Grano

Abel Mendoza Graciano/Garnacha Grano a Grano 2022

La Rioja
Abel Mendoza
D.O.C. Rioja
75 cl.
red
62,62 € /pc
51,75 € excl. VAT
Assembly

Garnacha (60%), Graciano (40%)

Content

75 cl.

Year

2022

Description

A micro-vinification from selected grapes, berry by berry, in the best parcels of old vines. Only one to two barrels are produced each year, so only 60 bottles are available for Belgium.

75 cl.
96 James Suckling
New
52-60

52-60 2022

La Rioja
Abel Mendoza
D.O.C. Rioja
75 cl.
red
87,66 € /pc
72,45 € excl. VAT
Product not available
Assembly

Garnacha, Garnacha Blanca, Graciano, Malvasia, Tempranillo, Viura

Content

75 cl.

Year

2022

I have presented Abel Mendoza’s top wines above, but they certainly have not forgotten their roots either. Abel in fact started out as a young cosechero, meaning a producer of youthful semi-carbonic maceration reds. Deliciously drinkable reds bursting with fruit, in the style of the better terroir-driven Beaujolais.

And all of that at a very modest price.
See what has been written about his young red wine:
This was about the 2021, which immediately received 92+/100!
“The finest carbonic maceration I remember here is the Jarrarte Maceración Carbónica, an explosion of violets that has the freshness, elegance and precision of the whites and the rosé from 2021. It's juicy, velvety, fresh, clean, precise, long and very tasty, with a finish of violet pastille. Bravo!”

And then the praise for the 2023 last year:
R. Parker: 92/100
The young carbonic-maceration red 2023 Jarrarte Maceración Carbónica had been in bottle for over one month when I tasted it. Year after year, this is one of the finest wines in the category. It has an explosion of violets and wild berries with a juicy and chewy palate. It's ripe at 14% alcohol and has silky, unnoticeable tannins. It's an amazing wine and an amazing value.

We also have his best-selling wine: “Jarrarte”, at crianza level and with an outstanding price-quality ratio!

From the 2021 vintage onwards, this wine will be called “suelos” or “terroirs”.

But for that, just a little more patience!
75 cl.
Jarrarte Joven

Jarrarte Joven 2024

La Rioja
Abel Mendoza
D.O.C. Rioja
75 cl.
red
14,05 € /pc
11,61 € excl. VAT
Product not available
Assembly

Tempranillo (100%)

Content

75 cl.

Year

2024

Description

The carbonic maceration method is traditionally used in Rioja. However, these Riojas are hardly comparable to Beaujolais wines, which are lighter and fruitier than Riojas made from Tempranillo grapes.

75 cl.
92 R. Parker
Jarrarte

Jarrarte 2020

La Rioja
Abel Mendoza
D.O.C. Rioja
75 cl.
red
24,39 € /pc
20,16 € excl. VAT
Product not available
Assembly

Tempranillo (100%)

Content

75 cl.

Year

2020

Description

A Crianza-level wine, but the bodega cannot use this term (nor Reserva) because its production is too limited.

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