In the heart of Rioja, at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria, there is a couple who decided over three decades ago that wine was not merely about production, but about contemplation. Abel Mendoza and Maite Fernández established their winery in 1988 with a purpose that was almost revolutionary for its time: to listen to the land. They began humbly with a young wine, yet it wasn't long before they realised that the true journey lay in interpreting each plot, each variety, each climatic change.
As Abel himself puts it: "Let us create the thousand and one wines of Rioja." For diversity is not a trend, it is a reality: a tempranillo from Alfaro does not taste the same as one from Briñas or Laguardia. Every corner has its own voice. And every vintner, their commitment.
With 18 hectares of vineyard tended as if it were a secret garden, they primarily cultivate tempranillo (16 ha) but there are also small treasures of garnacha and graciano, as well as white varieties (malvasía, macabeo, tempranillo blanco, torrontés, garnacha blanca).
Abel Mendoza 52-60 originates from a very specific spot. Sourced from half a hectare in the Mondiate area, Labastida, where old vines of tempranillo, graciano, garnacha tinta and white varieties (garnacha blanca, malvasía, viura…) coexist. All on a bed of red sandstone that imparts character. In the winery, the bunches were destemmed by hand, berry by berry, and then spent 13 months in a French oak foudre.
Abel Mendoza 52-60 is evidence that in Rioja there is room for diversity, interpretation, and origin. A Rioja that smells of earth and history, that tastes of the future and commitment.