Bodegas y Vinedos Pujanza

As a company name, Bodegas y Viñedos Pujanza is a bit of a mouthful. But there’s a good reason for it. When Carlos San Pedro started his business in 1998, the process of making wine was still very much focused on what went on in the winery. Producers would proudly show off rows of gleaming silver tanks and racks of oak barrels, with the vineyards barely getting a mention.

For Carlos, this was all the wrong way around. When he set up his winery (aged just 25) he wanted the focus to be at least as much on the vines as what happened to their fruit in the winery. In the company name, both cellars and vineyards get equal billing.

Carlos’ love of the vineyards is understandable, because he has great land to work with. Pujanza’s vines are all round the mountain village of Laguardia in Rioja Alavesa. None are further than 4km from the winery, and at 600-700 metres above sea level, backing up against the looming cliffs of the Sierra de Cantabria, they’re some of the highest vineyards in the region, producing fruit that is expressive, lifted and structured. The wines are bright, polished and elegantly understated; classic Rioja characteristics but lent a sensitive, modern interpretation by a terroir fanatic.