Buy wine, cava and champagne as a gift. | DECÁNTALO by the winery López de Haro

Vintae is one of the most ambitious and innovative winemaking companies of the moment, capable of transmitting its passion for wine in a clear, passionate and original way.
Grupo Vintae was created in 1999 on the initiative of José Miguel Arambarri Terrero, a Rioja businessman who was a great connoisseur and lover of the world of wine. The group appeared when they planted the first vineyards of the Castillo de Maetierra winery, the only winery of the Community of La Rioja specialised in white wines.
These vineyards marked the beginning of Valles de Sadacia, the new Protected Geographical Indication for white wines from the Community of La Rioja.

José Miguel shared this passion with his family, specifically with his sons Ricardo and José Miguel, who now lead the project. They have started making wines in Rioja with their first wineries, Castillo de Maetierra and Maetierra Dominium.
These first projects were the origin of the creation of Vintae, which now produces wines in 12 different areas, creating a new perspective and a change of mentality that marked a new path in the wine world of Spain.

One of the many keys to the success of the Vintae group and its wines lies in the technical management of Raúl Acha, an agricultural technical engineer, lover of wine, and friend of the land they come from. Since his childhood, he has been attached to viticulture and the vineyards, taking maximum care of every essential detail for the creation of modern wines. Raúl Acha’s philosophy is to select the right vineyard for the development of each wine style, studying its ampelography, geology, climatology, and capturing it in a bottle of wine.

With this great team and led by the success of the two wineries located in La Rioja, they began to explore the creative possibilities of other Spanish production areas with the aim of creating a portfolio that would cover the best of each Spanish wine region.
Its philosophy is to take advantage of the singularities of each region to bring out the ultimate expression of the most outstanding native varieties, or even those from abroad that have shown better adaptation. They look for the most interesting varieties for each area. To do so, they do not hesitate to innovate, as is the case of Castillo de Maetierra, with its wide catalogue of white varieties, or Winery Arts, with the introduction of a large number of foreign red varieties. Part of its success is that in all its projects it produces wines adapted to the tastes of the current consumer, who demands wines that are easy to drink, less aggressive, but that do not give up the maximum quality, power and richness of nuances that represent the uniqueness of each area.

The reality is that, in just a few years, Vintae has managed to create a portfolio of products that covers practically all the Spanish wine scene, and that continues to expand day by day. Its commercial presence is in continuous growth, both nationally and internationally. Today, the winery is present in over 20 countries, and new markets are added every year.

History of the winery

López de Haro is located on a hill, in perfect harmony with the profile of the town of San Vicente de la Sonsierra. The winery has stunning views, it is next to the meander of the Ebro river and in front of the Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture. It is possibly the most traditional winery of Grupo Vintae. The first wines of the winery were presented in 2002, and produced in a rental winery. Since 2006, their wines been made at López de Haro.

The winery is strategically designed. Since it is located on a hill, the winery is, for the most part, buried. This enables natural air conditioning that keeps the temperature stable throughout the year without needing artificial systems and achieving high energy efficiency. Another advantage of its high location is that the newly harvested grapes can be received at the upper section so that the gravity forces them into the deposits. This prevents the grapes from suffering the pressure of the pumps, which can tear the skins or crush the seeds, causing unwanted flavours.

López de Haro has a barrel stock of around 5,000 barrels, of which three quarters are of French oak, and a quarter of American oak. French oak fits better with the style of wines that are made at López de Haro, since it respects more the fruit and the personality of the most used varieties in the Hacienda López de Haro collection: Tempranillo, Grenache and Graciano.

Work philosophy

The wines from López de Haro are made respecting the traditional production systems. Therefore, the deposits, of between 15,000 and 35,000 litres, have very wide tops to imitate the traditional production in open tanks. This enables them to carry out punch downs more comfortably to work better with the yeast cap.

The barrel room is located more than 10 metres underground. This way, the temperature naturally stays between 14 and 16 degrees throughout the year. At López de Haro they intend the barrel to provide elegance without being the main focus of attention. This is why they perform longer ageing processes (18 to 24 months) in barrels that have had several uses, 6-7 years maximum, and with a medium toasting.

It also has a deposit with a capacity of 180,000 litres for the assembly of the wines, that is to say, to blend the wine that has been in different barrels and that therefore has different properties. After a tasting with the team, the oenologists make the final assembly of the wine from different barrels. These wines have aged after being made with grapes from different areas and vineyards. After the assembly, the wine is bottled and left to rest for at least half a year in the bottle, in the case of young wines, and several years in the case of reservas, crianzas and signature wines or ‘vinos de autor’.

Wines from López de Haro

Hacienda López de Haro Blanco is made from a selection of old Viura vineyards, planted on poor hillsides in the area of San Vicente de la Sonsierra. After a controlled maceration with the skins for 4-6 hours, the must ferments and remains in French oak barrels for four months. On the nose, the ripe fruit, dates and banana stand out, together with the notes of its ageing, which make it interesting and complex. In the mouth, it is meaty and fresh, making it long and balanced, and with a pleasant aftertaste.

Hacienda López de Haro Rosado is made with old Tempranillo and low-yield Grenache. This wine macerates between 24 and 48 hours at low temperatures, around 10ºC. Then, the deposit goes through the saignée process, naturally extracting a pink, bright must, which ferments at 10-12ºC for approximately 20 days. On the nose, it is intense, with red fruits that stand out, banana and some floral notes. In the mouth, it is a silky and pleasant, with great balance, but sweet and fresh at the same time.

Hacienda López de Haro Tempranillo is a varietal wine made with Tempranillo from vineyards between 50 and 70 years old. This wine is aged for a short period of 3-4 months in new barrels. On the nose, it has red fruit and liquorice, typical of the variety. Tasty, full of fruity flavours, and with a sweet tannin that leaves a long aftertaste.

Hacienda López de Haro Crianza is made with Tempranillo, Red Grenache and Graciano. This wine is aged in French and American oak barrels for around 18 months. In its aroma, the nuances of ripe fruit stand out, while in the mouth it is soft, expressive and elegant, combining a fruity character with the notes of the barrel, in perfect harmony.

Hacienda López de Haro Reserva is made with Tempranillo and Grenache. This wine is aged in the classic way fro 20 months in French and American oak barrels, with a quarterly racking. This wine is clarified with egg white and bottled, with a minimum of two years of ageing in the bottle. On the nose, it is powerful, with primary aromas of ripe fruit accompanied by complex spicy and balsamic notes with a light touch of vanilla. In the mouth, it is balanced, round and unctuous with a sweet and mature tannin, as well as a long aftertaste that make this wine an elegant classic from Rioja.

Hacienda López de Haro Gran Reserva is made with a selection of old Tempranillo and Graciano vineyards of low production. These vineyards are located on poor soils on terraces of the Ebro, around San Vicente de la Sonsierra. The wine is aged for over 30 months in French and American oak barrels. On the nose, it is complex, with aromas of coffee, vanilla, toasting and balsamic notes on an intense background of ripe fruit. In the mouth, it is elegant and round. It is well balanced, with a velvety entry followed by a pleasant acidity and a silky and enveloping finish of its noble and mature tannin. It presents a long aftertaste with spicy and balsamic notes from its long and slow ageing. It also presents candied fruit, which leaves a long nuance of its personality.

Hacienda López de Haro 30 meses is a wine designed to be a special edition of only 12,200 bottles. It is made with a selection of old Tempranillo vines of very low production located in Sonsierra and old Grenache vineyards located in high areas of Cárdenas. The fermentation takes place in open 500-litre French oak barrels, with daily punch-downs carried out in a completely traditional way. The malolactic fermentation takes place in new French oak barrels, where it also ages for over 30 months. On the nose, it is intense and complex, with black fruit of ripe, full grapes that stands out, combined with the toasted notes of the barrel and notes of spices and cacao. In the mouth, it is full and strong, but elegant and meaty at the same time. It has a mature tannin that leaves a delicious aftertaste.

El Pacto is made from Tempranillo grapes from vineyards that are over seventy years old. These vineyards are cultivated organically in the area of Sonsierra, in Rioja. This wine is aged for 14 months in French oak barrels. It has an intense and complex aroma, with sweet notes of ripe fruit, berries, spices and tobacco. In the mouth, it is amiable, but it unfolds in the mid-palate. Powerful and unctuous. Fruit notes appear once again, well integrated with toasted sensations. Its finish has nuances of minerals and undergrowth, with a long and pleasant aftertaste.

El Pacto Crianza is made with Tempranillo and Red Grenache from old, low-yield vineyards. This wine is aged for 16 months in French and American oak barrels. It presents an intense and complex aroma, with sweet notes of ripe fruit, berries and spices. In the mouth, it is amiable, but also powerful and unctuous. Fruity notes appear once again, well integrated with the toasted sensations of the oak.