SPAIN

Innovation in Laguardia

Artadi was founded in the mid-80s as a cooperative under the leadership of winemaker Juan Carlos Lopez de la Calle. Juan Carlos was determined to demonstrate that the Tempranillo grape was and is capable of producing wines that could compete with the best in the world. Initially, he chose to distance himself significantly from the porous American oak, which he felt dominated the flavor in many wines from the area. Artadi is located on the outskirts of the small sleepy wine town of Laguardia, in the heart of Rioja’s premier district, Alavesa or Alava. Today, the house owns about 83 hectares of vineyards, all located in Alavesa. The soil is dominated by clay and limestone with broad geological diversity and fluctuating climatology. All vineyards are high-altitude, very old, and generate low yields with good concentration. This climatic and geological diversity has led Artadi to embrace a more Burgundian winemaking philosophy and will henceforth only produce “villages” and single-vineyard wines.