Álvaro Loza Las Piñuelas 2023

Álvaro Loza, born in La Rioja but having travelled all over the world, returned to his home region to launch his personal project in 2019.

‘Las Piñuelas’ refers to the sandstone outcrops that abound in this 80-year-old vineyard between Briñas and Labastida at around 530 meters above sea level. The soil here is shallow, transitioning from calcareous sand to sandstone in a depth of just 40 cm, with high levels of calcium carbonate from a depth of 80 cm onwards. The vineyard is surrounded by local aromatic plants typical of the low hills, such as thyme, rosemary, lavender and juniper.

The grapes are harvested by hand and 70 per cent of the bunches are destemmed, leaving the whole berries to ferment in 1,000-litre open vat alongside the remaining third of whole bunches. As with all his wines, gentle manual punching down is carried out daily throughout the 35-day fermentation period. The wine is then aged for 16 months in a 500-litre French oak barrel.

Just 677 numbered bottles of this red wine, a true ambassador for the limestone-rich landscape of La Rioja!