Unión de Cosecheros de Labastida was founded in 1964 thanks to the efforts of 24 winegrowers who wanted to obtain fairer prices for their grapes. Today, the cooperative in this village on the western edge of Rioja Alavesa -later renamed Solagüen and, until 2023, Bodegas y Viñedos Labastida- has 80 members and 300 hectares of vineyards in this village, as well as in Salinillas de Buradón and Briñas.
Weighed down by a very ambitious investment in a new winery at the beginning of the 21st century, the cooperative made major changes in 2016 to address its precarious financial situation. Under the new leadership of Iñigo Rubio, an Airbus engineer and son of one of the founding members of the cooperative (who was now no longer involved in the business), a new management team took control of the winery.
The appointment of Javier Cereceda as winemaker in 2017 was one of the most significant changes. A native of Logroño, Cereceda had worked with Telmo Rodríguez in Toro and Rueda for nine years, but decided to accept Rubio's offer, attracted by the potential of the region and the quality of the vineyards in the hands of the cooperative.
Beginning in 2018, Cereceda and Rubio, along with César Castro, the cooperative's vineyard manager and an expert on the vines and soils of Labastida and the surrounding area, restructured the company's philosophy to focus on the vineyard and thus gain more identity for the wines.
White wines, which make up under 10% of production, are now harvested later and left on the skins for a short time, seeking volume rather than aromas, but maintaining acidity and enhancing the mouthfeel of the wines. The use of oenological products has decreased, and they rely more on sampling and selection than analysis, prioritizing the quality of the fruit. "If grapes need to be removed, they are paid for and removed," says Castro, adding that in 2022 they processed 190,000 kg of grapes from different plots separately. They do not sell in bulk and rarely buy grapes.
In an effort to improve the reds, all fermentations are now spontaneous and slower, and macerations are longer, always avoiding over-extraction. Although most of the wines are destemmed, some Garnachas are partially fermented with stems. The barrels have also changed and now French oak accounts for two thirds of the total stock, as opposed to American oak, which used to be 80% in the past, and foudres and vats are also gradually being added. The traditional concrete tanks of the founding winery -the new one was sold to Muga in 2023- have been recovered to produce some of the new wines.
The winery produces 13 different wines that are sold under four brands. Castillo Labastida and Montebuena are for export, Solagüen is for the more traditional wines, from carbonic maceration to Reserva, and Manuel Quintano is the newest. The company's 50 best hectares are dedicated to this range, named after the pioneering 18th-century clergyman who tried, unsuccessfully, to adopt the Bordeaux method of winemaking and ageing.
Solagüen Crianza (€9.50) remains the most representative wine of the co-operative, with a production of around 600,000 bottles, which is expected to increase to 800,000. According to Cereceda, the wine, mainly Tempranillo with some Garnacha, is harvested by zone, starting in the lower parts and climbing up to 650 metres elevation. The grapes are fermented for 28 days and aged in French and American oak barrels for 12 to 13 months.
The Manuel Quintano range includes the most interesting wines for aficionados, starting with the Q de Quintano (55,000 bottles, €9), a 100% Tempranillo from Labastida made in concrete that displays the freshness, honesty and fruit of traditional young wines.
El Pionero (60,000 bottles, €12) blends 35+ year old Tempranillo vines with 5% Garnacha from Salinillas de Buradón and is made with stems (5%) before being aged for 12-14 months, depending on the vintage, in seasoned 225- and 500-litre French oak. Pleasant and spicy on the nose, it is an easy-drinking wine with the fruit always up front.
Manuel Quintano Blanco (15,000 bottles, €12) blends 70+ year old Viura with 5% Tempranillo Blanco, with 24 hours of skin contact before pressing and racking, looking for clean musts. Fermentation and ageing (11 months) take place in French oak barrels (5% new) of various sizes, with battonage twice a week for the first three months.
Manuel Quintano Cepas Viejas (8,000 bottles, €15) comes from three Garnacha vineyards that are between 50 and 70 years old. It is macerated for about 25 days before being aged in 500-litre seasoned barrels for 12 months. With red fruit on the nose and a silky mouthfeel, this is a Garnacha with backbone and presence on the palate.
For the Manuel Quintano Selección Particular (30,000 bottles, €18), Tempranillo grapes over 40 years old are selected and macerated for up to 40 days and aged in seasoned and new French oak barrels (between 10-20%, depending on the vintage). Concentrated and with tannins, it is a food-friendly, robust wine.
Manuel Quintano Reserva (5,000 bottles, €25) comes from a century-old vineyard with clay soils. Inspired by the Manuel Quintano of the 1990s, it is aged for 24 months (the longest of the entire winery) and retains the ripe fruit, soft tannins and volume of its predecessor, but with a more refined texture and a style more suited to the 21st century.
The Cruces del Dean Collection includes the winery's three premium wines, all from old vineyards in Labastida. Los Herreros (600 bottles, €53) is a Garnacha planted 80 years ago in sandy limestone soils. Made with 20% stems, aged in seasoned barrels and bottled unfiltered, it has the ethereal, floral character of the region's fine Garnacha, with herbal notes and a delicate palate. They plan to increase production to 1,500 bottles for the 2021 vintage.
El Saúco (2,500 bottles, €57) is the winery's most balanced and elegant Tempranillo. Like Los Herreros, it comes from an old vineyard on the road to Las Beatas, but it is vinified in open wooden vats, with long macerations and aged for 20 months in used barrels. With great aromatic complexity and freshness, it is persistent and refined on the finish, with pleasant saline and mineral notes. La Calavera (1,100 bottles, €50) is a white wine for ageing. This Viura comes from a plot at 525m elevation opposite Briñas and is aged in new and seasoned barrels. The use of lees enhances its creaminess and volume, while maintaining its acidity. 2020 is the current vintage on the market and has a long life ahead of it.
Bodegas Manuel Quintano Labastida is open to the public by appointment.
