BASILIO IZQUIERDO

With more than 50 vintages under his belt, veteran Basilio Izquierdo is one of the most respected winemakers in Rioja. Born in La Mancha in 1947 and trained in Bordeaux, he knows his adopted region and its historic wines better than most, having been head winemaker at CVNE between 1974 and 2006. He oversaw the wines of Imperial, Viña Real and Contino for more than 20 years, and some of the legendary vintages carry his signature.

In 2007, instead of retiring after his time at CVNE, Izquierdo hired a space in a rambling building that used to belong to the cooperative in Laguardia and set about making a diverse variety of limited-production cuvées. He doesn’t own vineyards but sources the grapes from selected sites across the appellation, and always from old vines and traditional varieties – he was one of the first advocates of Garnacha Blanca, a minority grape that dominates in his B de Basilio Blanco, a wine made for long ageing.

Aged 74, Izquierdo is as inquisitive and dynamic as any up-and-coming producer. He makes classic Rioja whites and reds in his crammed three-storey winery, but also sparkling wines, whites (produced under a veil of yeast, aged in Sherry butts), orange wines and everything in between (bodegasbasilioizquierdo.com). In partnership with his university friend, Serge Fourton, winemaker at Baron Philippe de Rothschild from 1974-2004, Izquierdo has made a red Rioja from the 2019 vintage called Duo which they plan to sell through La Place de Bordeaux. ‘It’s the same concept as my B de Basilio red, blending grapes and meant to be aged, but it has the French touch,’ he says. YOA

‘Izquierdo is as inquisitive and dynamic as any up-and-coming young producer’