Primarily based within the village of Viana, on the northern fringe of the Rioja DOCa, Bodegas Ondarre is a mission of ardour that pioneered the true understanding of the specificity of the appellation’s sub-regions and varieties. Based in 1985 by the workforce behind Bodegas Olarra, the vineyard was constructed upon the joint expertise of its main professionals, wanting to embrace a brand new inventive and analysis problem. Drawn to the distinctive setting of the land round Viana, the place Ondarre stays the one producer, the workforce led by chief winemaker Javier Martínez de Salinas, launched into a journey of exploration, studying and passionate onerous work.
On the time of Ondarre’s basis, the DOCa laws didn’t permit for wine to be labelled with particular geographical mentions; the wines of Rioja had been style- slightly than terroir-driven. Ondarre performed an essential function in difficult such a mindset, contributing to a change in perspective that was finally mirrored in revisions to the native wine legislation, accepted in 2017 and instantly embraced by Ondarre within the subsequent improvement of its vary. Within the intervening interval, the onerous, jeweller’s work of the workforce at Ondarre remained considered one of silent and relentless dedication, not absolutely mirrored on the labels, however expressed within the high quality and character of every wine. When such dedication was lastly vindicated, the wines may lastly be appreciated for what they’re: ‘vinos de testigo’ (witness wines), as Salinas calls them, that seize a second in time and converse of the historic vines they hail from. ‘We work to combat the standardisation of Rioja,’ he says. ‘Our focus is the winery, and every single day we exit to the sector to grasp every plot and vine higher and higher.’ This intense, potential labour includes a ‘dissection of terroir’ that features soil and clonal evaluation, serving to to outline the true nature of every winery and selection.
Javier Martínez de Salinas, chief winemaker at Bodegas Ondarre
The work finished at Ondarre is now extensively recognised by journalists, critics and, not least, the jury on the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA). Two vintages of Mayor de Ondarre – 2016 and 2017 – had been awarded a whopping 97 factors at, respectively, the DWWA 2021 and 2022, an unprecedented excessive rating for a Rioja DOCa wine on consecutive releases.
The expansion of the mission has been considered one of fixed and humble evolution, adapting to and studying from the fact of the vineyards – a modest strategy that defers to the necessities of every plot and classic slightly than imposing winemaking formulation or pre-assigned briefs. The fine-tuning of viticultural and oenological practices is greatest seen within the character of the 2 single-vineyard and single-varietal wines, Varietal de Ondarre Graciano and Mazuelo. Steady quest for purity has additionally led to adjustments in the usage of oak in Valdebaron Tinto, permitting the refined aromas of Mazuelo to talk for themselves and play the primary function in constructing the wine’s framework. ‘We have now made adjustments in our work within the cellar to be able to facilitate a purer, extra vibrant expression of the fruit,’ says Salinas. He highlights a lighter-handed strategy that features ‘longer fermentations with slower, gentler extractions’ and a ‘granular separation of fruit from every plot’.
If at the moment Rioja is championing the distinctiveness of its many micro-terroirs and the singularity of its viticultural heritage – seen within the vast patrimony of outdated vines – this may not have been doable with out the pioneering efforts of producers like Bodegas Ondarre. This courageous spirit stays on the core of Ondarre’s philosophy, as seen within the launch, in 2021, of the primary ever single- winery single-varietal Mazuelo, La Escaleruela, awarded Viñedo Singular standing by the DOCa Rioja official tasting panel. 2021 additionally noticed the discharge of Ondarre Primeur, the inaugural natural label from Ondarre, marking an ongoing effort to establish and convert all of the plots appropriate for natural viticulture.
Conscious of the viticultural challenges posed by local weather change and drought, the workforce at Ondarre is dedicated to an ongoing evaluate of the most effective viticultural requirements, working ‘in direction of a extra even and balanced improvement of the fruit,’ explains Salinas. ’My problem and aim for the long run is to have a greater data of the fruit from every vine.’
Even when this analysis and experience are primarily based on a profound theoretical and technical basis, they’re additionally a matter of instinct and accrued expertise. ‘Al ultimate, es trabajo de brujo’ (on the finish of the day it’s a wizard’s work), sums up Salinas. It’s this dimension of magic and surprise that leaves area for the surprises delivered by particular vineyards on sure vintages, materialised in a variety named Los Otros (The Others) which incorporates wines outlined by the idiosyncrasy of a selected terroir and harvest.
Might surprise and craftsmanship at all times encourage those that drink, as those that make, the wines of Bodegas Ondarre.
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