Bodegas Abel Mendoza

Founded in 1988 Abel Mendoza is widely regarded as one of the single finest producers in Rioja. A small, family run estate Abel works by hand 18 hectares of prime old vineyards land in the district of San Vicente de la Sonsierra. Moreover, since these noble vineyards are spread out and haphazardly planted with an array of grape varieties, harvest is carried out by hand, each plot and each variety individually at optimum ripeness. One of Abel's specialisties is the vinification of the traditional white Rioja variatals seperately in new oak barrels. These wines are astonishing in their freshness and complexity. Sadly only a hand full of cases are made each year. The flag ship red - Abel's personal selection - is likewise fermented in new oak and is equally impressive as his whites. The Crianza is fermented and aged in a mixture of new and 1-2 year barrels.

Abel's passion is wine, not the marketing of wine. Few if any of his wines are ever presented to journalists so reviews are few and far between. However, tasting is believing, as we were to discover recently in Spain and we strongly urge you to consider these remarkable wines.