An architect who fell in love with wine, Javier Arizcuren has successfully managed to reconcile his main occupation with his own personal wine project, contributing to raise awareness of the great quality potential of Rioja Oriental.
Arizcuren is based in his home town, Quel, a village with a long winemaking tradition located in the Cidacos valley, a 40-minute drive from Logroño. In 2011 he took over the family’s 16 ha of vineyards, and started gauging the potential and unique features of this area with plots raising up the slopes of Mount Yerga. Only the finest grapes are bottled under the Arizcuren label. Most of them are sourced from traditional goblet-trained vines aged between 30 and 120 years old and farmed organically.
One day he plans to restore the old family cellar in Quel’s traditional bodega district, but since 2016 he has been making his wines in the heart of Logroño, in a small cellar adjacent to his architecture studio. Its 140 m2 were measured down to the last detail; much of the equipment (destemmer, labelling machine...) is small and often stackable; and there is even room for a cosy wine bar to welcome visitors. Not only does it resemble the urban wineries now fashionable in London, Sydney or New York, but it is a reminder of the more than four dozen bodegas that existed in Logroño in 1680. Back then, wine was made in undergound cellars and the house's entrance hall was used as a shop and tavern.
Arizcuren's first releases include two limited edition reds: a Garnacha (Sologarnacha) and particularly a Mazuelo (Solomazuelo) which stood out for its vibrant, wild character when it was released. A new version of each of these wines, aged in clay amphorae, was added later. Both are more linear and focused with prices ranging between €34 and €36. Today he also makes an expressive Graciano (Solograciano, €35) aged in 500-litre oak barrels, which benefits from the excellent ripening conditions of Rioja Oriental, and a Maturana (Solomaturana, €36) aged in tinaja. In general, wines aged in clay jars tend to be more straightforward and bring out the fresh, wilder fruit of the mountain vineyards.
The range starts with Monte Gatún (about €19 in Spain, under 5,000 bottles). With this red, Arizcuren tried to get the best out of Tempranillo -14 of his 20 hectares are planted with this early ripening variety that shines in Rioja Alta and Alavesa but struggles in the warmer climate of Rioja Oriental. Around 70% Tempranillo is picked early and with minimal maceration and is later blended with Mazuelo (20%) and Garnacha (10%). The idea is to use Tempranillo as a canvas for the other two varieties to interact, resulting in a moreish, spicy red. Starting in the 2022 vintage there are also white and rosé versions of Monte Gatún made from Viura and Garnacha respectively. Whilst the rosé spends a few months on its lees in stainless steel tanks, the white wine is aged for a year in large French oak barrels; Viura grapes are sourced from old vines grown at 600 metres elevation.
The range of premium wines has grown with a couple of limited, single vineyard reds made from old vineyards planted to Garnacha and some other grape varieties. El Barranco del Prado (€62) is a Viñedo Singular that comes from a pre-phylloxera vineyard located at 750 metres elevation. As well as Garnacha, there is some Calagraño and Tinto Velasco. This is a deep, exuberant red wine, but not excessively powerful with lots of scrubland notes and almost ethereal tannins. With a rounder, more Mediterranean profile, El Foro (2,200 bottles, €54) comes from a plot at 600 metres elevation planted to 60% Garnacha, 35% Mazuelo and Viura and other varieties. It was first released in the 2019 vintage and will become a Viñedo Singular in the 2023 vintage.
His latest release is Apuntes de Arizcuren, a collection of experimental wines in which this architect and vigneron unleashes his creativity. His first wine is a white Viura aged in acacia barrels. Overall production stands at around 30,000 bottles and Arizcuren's goal is to reach 50,000 bottles.
As an architect, Arizcuren is behind major wine projects such as Bodegas Regalía in Ollauri, Finca Los Arandinos in Entrena or the restoration of the historic cellars of Conde de los Andes in Ollauri.
