Established as a family winery in Laguardia (Rioja Alavesa), new partners joined the business in 1999 including agronomist and oak expert Alejandro Simó who has been its winemaker and manager and is expected to keep this role after the recent purchase of Luis Alegre by Muriel Wines.
Luis Alegre owns 52Ha of vineyards in Laguardia as well as in nearby villages like Labastida, Elvillar and Torremontalbo. They are not organically certified, but follow sustainable viticulture practices and their most distinctive wines come from three vineyards located at different elevations.
Finca La Reñana is the jewel of the crown. It was planted in 1946 in an elevated area with marked Atlantic influence and features distinctive clay-sandy soils. Both red and white grapes are grown here. The firm, elegant, barrel-aged Finca La Reñana white (€17.95 at the winery’s online store) blends 90% of Viura with some Malvasía and develops beautifully with time. Its red counterpart (€20.75) is mostly Tempranillo with about 5% Graciano and Mazuelo. It was first released as Luis Alegre Selección Especial, but in the 2013 vintage the name of the vineyard was added; from 2014 Finca La Reñana is the only name on the label. Attached to the label is a red ribbon, after the rings of the same colour employed for sexual confusion in the vineyard, a very common pratice at Luis Alegre. Their aim is to prevent moths from laying eggs and giving birth to caterpillars that snack on vines and pave the way for oidium and mildew. According to Simó, this is the wine with greater aging potential in the range.
Parcela Nº 5 (€17.95) Tempranillo bears the name of the vineyard it comes from. Located in Laguardia’s lagoon natural park, it features distinctive limestone soils with a briny influence. The wine has a marked herbal character.
The Pontac range includes the two top cuvées. They were named after Armand de Pontac, former owner of Château Haut-Brion during the second half of the 17th century, who set new quality standards for barrel aging, notably through filling up and racking. Grapes are sourced from Finca Portiles, a vineyard planted in 1931 on soils with high ferrous content. Wines are hence more powerful and follow a Mediterranean style. Pontac retails at about €31 whereas Pontac de Portiles, which is not released every vintage, usually exceeds €80.
The rest of the range, under the Luis Alegre brand, includes most of the existing styles in Rioja: a carbonic maceration red (€6.10); Debastado, made with stems but using just the central part of the must (€6.10), a 100% Viura under lees (€6.10), a rosé (€6.10) blend of 60% Tempranillo and 40% Viura; a red aged for nine months called Koden (€6.89), a Crianza (€9.70) and a Reserva (11.5 €). Tempranillo features in 90% of the red wine blends.
Luis Alegre offers wine tours regularly, has a restaurant in the estate and a pleasant open terrace with a view to Sierra de Cantabria where guests can enjoy their wines.
