2021 Artadi El Carretil

In the medieval village of Laguardia, the future of La Rioja has developed in the cellars of Artadi. Without a doubt, this masterpiece is thanks to the brilliant and creative work of Juan Carlos López, who is assisted today by his son Carlos.

When Juan Carlos made the cooperative into an independent 'bodega' in 1992, he had been in charge of it for 7 years. His vision was revolutionary and completely flattened Rioja, but in no time he managed to make the best of wines from Spain, which immediately conquered the whole world. The short cuts in the vineyards with very small yields as a result, and the use of French oak barrels were just some of his innovative ideas. Even more important was the early bottling of his wines, in contrast to the traditional riojas, which were sometimes stored on large wooden 'foudres' for up to 10 years. With this he also deliberately stepped aside from the Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva classification.

All wines in their range are made exclusively from the Tempranillo grape which has its birthplace in Rioja and can also give the best quality here. The range covers 3 wines in which Viñas de Gain forms their base wine. This wine is the great example of the best Rioja wines and is often used as a reference point. Without a doubt the best quality wine for its price !!
For Pagos Viejos , only the best grapes from the old vineyards are selected, which come from the best terroirs from all over Rioja. It is therefore no wonder that this wine is a true explosion of fruit, structure and elegant tannins. This wine owes the perfect balance to the 14-month oak barrel aging. A superior Grandes Añadas is only made from this selection in the very largest years.

Viña el Pison comes from a unique piece of land of 2.4 hectares where the subsoil and the location of the vineyard to the sun are exceptional tenors. With an average age of 65, the vines give nothing but the very best, but unfortunately also very limited, making this whopper so unique!