Viñedos Hontza
About
In 2015, the began the winery Hontza in Labraza on a hope and a prayer—commercial winemaking has never been practiced in this village, but viticulture in Rioja Alavesa in general is common, as part of traditional mixed agriculture along with grain cultivation and animal husbandry. This is a special zone for vineyards: it’s north of the Ebro River, struck through with steep gulleys and valleys carved by the tributaries of the area; the soils here are poor and calcareous, and stone walls and terraces for viticulture have been formed for a century and more. There’s also great biodiversity, with lots of surrounding forests and riverbanks intact; and Labraza’s situation is even higher-elevation than much of the lauded subregion Rioja Alta.
When drinking the flagship wine, the village-level wine just called ‘Hontza,’ it has notes of which one might think when thinking of Rioja: dark, nearly black fruit and herbs, depth of flavor—but it has none of the common industrial richness, over-oaked styling, and dry, hot notes of compote fruit. The 560-700m range of elevation, proximity to rivers and forests, and limestone-inflected soils are doing their work here. So is García and Bridoux’s insistence on not utilizing chemicals in the vineyards or during the winemaking process; the wine is dominated by freshness, purity, and clarity of fruit expression.
The Hontza range runs the gamut in being able to show these dimensions: from playful, experimental wines, in the ‘Too Mahats’ and ‘Vendedor de Humo,’ all the way up to the serious single-vineyard wines ‘Behera’ and ‘Valtide’ that express particular special old parcels of co-planted fruit or superior old vines.
We’re proud to share the new arrivals from Hontza this year: These are super enjoyable mountain wines that represent a great value for the price, as well as being Basque-oriented expressions of Rioja that are much fresher and more elegant than what you’ll often get from the standard wines in the southern, hotter center of the traditional appellation.
Products
'Hontza' (declassified Rioja Alavesa)
Certified Organic, Practicing Biodynamic. 60% Tempranillo, 40% Grenache. Taken from 30 year-old vines on clay-limestone soils at 650m elevation, pruned in the gobelet style. Hand-harvested. Fermentation is half destemmed grapes, half whole-cluster in stainless steel. 50% of the wine ages for at least seven months in a 1600L ancient amphora; the remaining half ages in a 500L French oak barrel. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added. This is Hontza’s flagship or ‘village’ red wine, showing dark fruit, a touch of roundness and spice, and immense freshness and purity.
Blanco 'Zuria' (declassified Rioja Blanca)
Certified Organic, Practicing Biodynamic. 70% Viura, 30% Calagreño. Calagreño is a rare indigenous variety to the area, sometimes known as Cazagal and possibly comparable to Macabeo, but with more acidity. The grapes for these wines are taken from 30-80 year-old vines on clay-limestone soils at 650m elevation, pruned in the gobelet style. The grapes are macerated on the skins five days, then the wine is pressed off. Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added.
Rioja 'Garaya'
Certified Organic, Practicing Biodynamic. 10 indigenous varieties, a third of them coming from a field blend vineyard, in a centenarian single vineyard called Miralasbuenas, or ‘Facing Goodness’—the name refers to its southerly exposition, prized in a time when fully ripened fruit was not a guarantee. Miralasbuenas is a sand and clay-dominated parcel surrounded by native conifers on all sides, with tall 90 year-old bush vines you don’t see in the standard landscapes of southern/central Rioja. Hand-harvested. The varieties are all co-fermented whole-cluster, via carbonic maceration, and the wine ages one year in a 500L neutral French oak barrel. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added. A vision of Álava from another century.
Rioja 'Valtide'
Certified Organic, Practicing Biodynamic. 100% Cariñena. A single terraced vineyard of 60 year-old bush vines, on clay-limestone soils at 650m of elevation. The parcel has deeply limey soils and is mostly north-facing, so there’s very little intense direct heat from the sun. Hand-harvested. Whole-cluster fermentation via carbonic maceration, then the wine is pressed off and aged in a 500L neutral French oak barrel. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added. An elegant, herbaceous, alluring version of Carignan—through a Basque, high-altitude lens.
'Too Mahats'
Certified Organic, Practicing Biodynamic. 80% Tempranillo, 20% Viura. Taken from 30 year-old vines on clay-limestone soils at 650m elevation, pruned in the gobelet style. Hand-harvested. Two days of maceration on destemmed grapes, fermented and aged in stainless steel. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added. This is Hontza’s ‘glou glou’ entry in their lineup, the lightest and freshest of the wines, with little tannin. Nearly impossible to believe it’s mostly Tempranillo.
'Vendedor de Humo' Clairet
Organic. Biodynamic. 100% Tempranillo. The vineyards comprising this wine are near the medieval town of Labraza in eastern Rioja Alavesa, at the high elevation of 650m, grown in clay-limestone soil. Vinedos Hontza farms these 30 year-old vines in strict accordance with organic standards, as well as being guided by biodynamic principles. Grape selection happens in the vineyard; all harvesting is by hand. Direct press in stainless steel, intended as a light red / 'claret' style. No added inputs of any kind, including sulfur. Unfined, unfiltered. Only 1000 bottles produced.
Hasta Que Cante El Cuco#8
Certified Organic, Practicing Biodynamic. 60% mixed white varieties, 40% red. Vinified for the first time in 2021, this small 70-year-old plot is located at 600m above sea level and is surrounded by pine trees. Nine different grape varieties native to the region are coplanted here: Viura, Calagreño, Malvasía Rioja and a significant part of Parrillera (which may be the Catalan Parellada); red varieties are Tempranillo, Garnacha, Red Maturana, Graciano, and Mazuela. The wine was made with carbonic maceration, all varieties co-fermented, then aged for 13 months in a large French oak foudre. Limited edition of 500 bottles. Unfined, unfiltered, no SO2 added.
Behera
Certified Organic, Practicing Biodynamic. 95% Garnatxa tinto, 5% old species of Tempranillo and Calagreño interplanted. Single-vineyard wine made from a 70+ years-old, southwest-facing plot sheltered in a small valley protected from the prevailing winds, in a clayey-calcareous soil at 550m above sea level. The surrounding vegetation is made up of oaks, lavender, juniper, rosemary, sage and thyme. 100% carbonic maceration, then aged for eight months in a neutral French oak foudre. Limited production of 1000 btls.
'Vendedor de Humo' Ancestral
Certified Organic, Practicing Biodynamic. 100% Tempranillo. Direct press, made in the ancestral method - fermentation completes in the bottle. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added. ‘Vendedor de Humo’ translates more or less to ‘snake oil salesman:’ this is a Tempranillo, but also—not.
