"The only essential information I want to see on my labels is the name of the wine, the winery and the mention of Rioja Oriental," says Carlos Mazo, 40, who recently redesigned the packaging with his wife, Isabel Ruiz, a designer and photographer.
The focus is on the essential elements. They have also decided to stop using the sealing wax - so widespread these days that they feel it has lost its artisanal connotation - in favour of capsules.
Details are crucial in this winery, which has not yet reached 30,000 bottles and concentrates on what Carlos Mazo calls the "southern terroir" of Rioja Oriental. This area encompasses the villages of Autol, Calahorra, Aldeanueva de Ebro, where the winery is located, Rincón de Soto, Alfaro and Grávalos, nestled between the Cidacos and Alhama rivers and bordered to the west by the Yerga and Agudos mountain ranges. In fact, Mazo was happy with Rioja Baja, the former name of Rioja Oriental, which he found informative and by no means derogatory: "In our region, the Ebro flows at around 340 metres elevation, whereas in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, in Rioja Alta, it flows at 440 metres," he explains.
These days, his main concern is the sense of place. "What do you get when you order a Rioja Oriental? A simple, fruity, young Garnacha". But this simplicity, expressed in terms of purity and substance, is difficult to achieve, he says. "How do you get the right grapes at the right stage of ripeness and not make any mistakes so that two years later the wine fully expresses its identity?"
Fluidity and freshness are also among his goals. "I want my wines to be enjoyed on the beach, not on Christmas Eve," he adds confidently.
This philosophy results in four terroir-driven wines and the entry-level red El Outsider (3,600 bottles, €17), first released in the 2018 vintage. This is a vin de soif, aged briefly in glass demijohns and bottled with no added sulphites. Until now, it has been made mostly from Garnacha, but from the 2023 vintage, this variety will be limited to their regional, village and single-vineyard wines, while El Outsider will be made from Tempranillo. Mazo's largest Tempranillo plot was planted in 1982 at 400 metres elevation in a site called Butrago in Autol. It lies next to a yasa (a local term for a stream with intermittent water) that flows down from the Sierra de Yerga, which results in the accumulation of gravel and, above all, sand.
In this southern part of Rioja Oriental, the location of the vineyards in relation to the mountains determines the character and quality of the land. The soils in the valley, like those of Butrago, consist of sediments from Yerga. "The rock is calcareous, but the roots don't reach the limestone. In this area, the alcohol content can be rather high," explains Carlos.
As you go up the mountain, the soils become stonier and poorer, while the colour becomes whitish as the limestone layer emerges at a depth of between 20 and 50 cm. This is what we find at Las Planas, a site at around 500 metres elevation in the village of Alfaro, where Carlos grows four plots. He regards Las Planas as one of the best terroirs in the area. Further up is Cantarral, which has distinctive iron-rich clay soils that retain moisture, ensuring good yields and resulting in fresher, easy flowing wines.
The other mountain area where Carlos Mazo works is Sierra de los Agudos, opposite Yerga. This is a very different landscape, arid, marked by erosion, with less rainfall and clayey soils, located in a triangle formed by Autol, Calahorra and Aldeanueva. Unlike Yerga, which dates from the Quaternary period, the Agudos area is older, dating from the Tertiary period.
All the work in the vineyard is carried out by Carlos and his father. Grape growing has always been done in a respectful and sustainable way, so much so that they have finally decided to apply for organic certification, which will be effective from the 2023 harvest.
The core of the range consists of terroir-driven wines: two regional wines under the name Costumbres, the village red Barrio Pastores and the single-vineyard red Nace La Sierra.
Launched in the 2012 vintage, Costumbres was the first brand and still accounts for the majority of the grapes. There is a white (2,200 bottles in 2022, €18) with a fairly high percentage (50%) of Calagraño or Pasera, as this variety is known in Rioja Oriental, mostly from Las Planas. The rest is Viura (between 30% and 40%) from a vineyard in Rincón de Soto, Garnacha Roya (or Gris) from the Cantarral site and, occasionally, there may be a little Tempranillo Blanco. After 11 months in cask, it delivers white fruit (pear, white peach) and some creamy oak notes in a subtle, refined way. On the palate it is very pleasant, aromatic and balanced, with fleshy white fruit.
The red Costumbres is the winery's flagship wine (13,900 bottles for the 2022 vintage, €18). It is made from 90% Garnacha, a significant proportion of which comes from Cantarral, along with a blend of other varieties, including some whites. The 2022 is slightly peppery, with red and citrus fruits (grapefruit and orange peel) and a wild herbal background.
Barrio Pastores (4,000 bottles, €25) is the wine that tries to explain what Aldeanueva de Ebro tastes like. The name (pastores means shepherds) recalls the occupation of the village founders, shepherds from the Cameros mountains and Calahorra, back in the 11th century following the reconquest of Calahorra by King García Sánchez III. This wine has been made since the 2018 vintage. Grapes are sourced from two different sites. Mazaterón is in the valley area very close to Butrago but the soil is more compact, with higher amount of clay, so the vines can suffer from stress during the summer. It was planted in 1989 by Isabel's grandfather. The second vineyard, also from his wife's family, is in Camino Montote, on the Agudos hillside. The wine starts off with floral aromas followed by herbs and pink pepper notes. Nicely textured, it stands out for its elegance and vivacity with raspberry notes on the finish.
This single-vineyard red wine also comes from the Agudos mountains. It is an elevated site surrounded by wild flora called Yasa de las Cuevas. It was made for the first time in the 2018 vintage under the name Erosivo from an old vineyard with a relatively high percentage of Tinto Velasco - the variety, which is very rare in Rioja, is not currently allowed in the DOCa. but plantings prior to 1982 are. Following the addition of newly planted vines in neighbouring plots, Garnacha has taken centre stage in this wine, and since the 2022 vintage the name has been changed to Nace La Sierra (1,350 bottles, €50).
A vertical axis training system has been used on these new plots. Carlos is thrilled with it, as it allows him to treat each vine individually, keeping the vegetation in place and avoiding or minimising trimming. Nace La Sierra 2022 offers both finesse and a very expressive wild character (flowers, rosemary), with juiciness and an excellent aromatic dimension on the palate.
The wine has its own foudre where it is fermented and subsequently aged. Costumbres combines oak and concrete, and its white version is aged in large barrels. Barrio Pastores, on the other hand, is aged in oak vats.
After struggling to make their wines in the cramped confines of his parents' garage, Carlos and Isabel have moved to a more spacious warehouse in the centre of Aldeanueva de Ebro. Isabel's hand as a designer is evident throughout the new premises and in the bright, comfortable tasting room, which is separated from the winemaking area by a glass wall.
Isabel was not there on the day of my visit, but she arranged for Carlos to welcome me with coffee and a homemade roll (our appointment was at 8.30am) and, best of all, a map showing the main sites in the area and the route we were to take. I was also given a personalised tasting booklet, the kind you get from wineries with big marketing departments, and the schedule was strictly observed so that I could be on time for my next visit.
Although they do not have the resources of larger producers, their aim is to refine their winemaking, avoid mistakes and be more precise in their bottlings in order to show the best and purest expression of their vineyards. There is no doubt that the wines have gained in definition, freeing themselves from the earthy base they had in the past.
Selling most of their production abroad has helped them to understand that the identity of Rioja Oriental must be built on Garnacha, both as a distinguishing feature and as a cross-cutting element capable of explaining the different terroirs.
Carlos Mazo, who at the time of writing was organising a trip to Champagne to see first-hand how its iconic small vignerons work and talk about their wines, feels he is part of a new wave of winemakers who are seeking to change Rioja's hierarchy. "Maybe one of the small guys has the best vineyard and can make the best wine," he says confidently.
