History Abel Mendoza
Abel comes from a typical winegrowing family from La Rioja, which used to produce what is called “vino de cosechero”, often with the carbonic maceration method. This wine was sold in bulk and was supposed to be drunk within the year. In 1988, Abel, 27, decided to bottle his own wine. Passionate about his vines, he wanted to valorise them differently than the neighbouring estates. In 1994, he chose to produce only quality wines. He was lucky: this was a very good vintage. Seeing the quality of the grapes, he decided to go further than a simple young wine. He bought barrels of French new oak. His family thought he had gone mad. But he knew what he wanted and soon, with the help of his wife Maite – an oenologist- he built himself a reputation as a wine producer. The estate is small (20 hectares), but Abel only produces top wines, in white and red. It is located in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, on the border between Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa. This is clearly the place for making great wines: Vega Sicilia is now building its Riojan winery there. Abel tends his vines with constant care, like a gardener, and seeks low yields. He does not use the Reserva and Gran Reserva standards as according to the Consejo Regulador, his cuvées are too tiny to guarantee a constant quality,which does not matter in the least for we know Abel and Maite produce some of the best wines in the whole region.