Abel Mendoza
Although the business bears Abel Mendoza’s name, he is the viticulturist and his wife Maite Fernández is the winemaker. The singleminded clarity of their range explains their presence here as renegades. For instance, they make no fewer than five different singlevarietal white wines: Viura, naturally enough, plus Torrontés, Tempranillo Blanco, Garnacha Blanca and Malvasía. These are fascinating bottles for the wine lover. The wines speak equally clearly of the villages from which they come – and the single vineyards. These single-origin concepts are now being defined by the Consejo Regulador, but Mendoza got there first, and arguably has done it better, driven by his understanding of the vineyard and the vine. His wines are at odds with the style of Rioja that focuses on blends, often across sub-regions. But there is room for both, even though noisy fashion is currently on the side of Mendoza and the single vineyard.