Alumni Club – Paco Garcia Wines

Back in May, Erica Dent and the Enjoy Discovering wine team partnered up with Paco Garcia winery showcasing six beautiful wines from the Rioja region. This was an excellent opportunity to gain experience and knowledge about the region and of such an enthusiastic winery who are moving with the times of the shift in less bold and more fruiter wines in Rioja.

Getting to know Paco Garcia:

It all started in 2001 when Francisco Garcia (Paco) and Julia Pablo founded the family winery in their hometown of Murillo de Rio Leza. And in 2008, Juan Bautista took over the business to bring a new twist and a breath of fresh air. From 2011, they launched their wines with their groundbreaking brand and centred on the hand.

 

Why a handprint?

This label is the handprint of Paco Garcia. This hand design is very modern and distinct representing his work in the fields and in the winery, craftmanship, values and soul, hand, and heart of Paco Garcia.

Location of the Winery

In the centre of Rioja close to La Garna (this is the capital of Rioja). This is made up of seven different valleys and of ‘Leza’ and ‘Jubera’ Valley (name of the rivers) which is the best-known winery in the small valleys.

Philosophy

They realised that in Rioja more young people are not drinking as much wine as the previous years, so after some thought and reflection, they wanted to try something different for people to start enjoying and drinking wines by making something different, more modern, and fruitier.

Masterclass

Sara Fernandez Bengoa (Sister to Paco Garcia’s wife) and Igor (winemaker) stepped in to host the masterclass due to Paco Garcia being one of a very few selected wineries from Rioja to represent the whole region in Hong Kong.

The wines:

1. El Yergo Tempranillo Blanco, 2023, 13.5% £16.99

• 1^st Tempranillo Blanco founded in 1988
• 100% Tempranillo Blanco
• Soils: Clay and limestone, with a limestone layer at a depth of 70cm
• Altitude: 540m
• Vineyard: El Yergo
• Vineyard planted in 2013.
• Winemaking:
  • Handpicked
  • Fermented in a 10,000L Stainless Steel tank
  • Then in new French Oak barrels in contact with its own lees, for 6 months before bottling.

2. Crianza, 2021, 14% £16.99

• 90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha
• Soils: Clay and limestone with being a little sandier.
• Altitude: 500-600m
• Vineyard: Ribafrecha, Ventas Blancas and Murillo de Rio Leza
• Vines over 25 years old.
• Winemaking:
  • Handpicked
  • Placed in 350KG crates
  • Taken to the winery then vinified separately in Stainless Steel tanks
  • Aged for 12 months in second use French Oak barrels.

3. Cantamilano Garnacha, 2022, 14% £14.00

• 100% Garnacha
• Soils: Clay
• Altitude: 500m
• Vineyard: Cantamilano (single plot)
• Vines up to 30 years old.
• Winemaking:
  • Handpicked
  • Placed into 350KG crates taken to the winery
  • Put into 10,000L Stainless Steel tank
  • Aged for 8 months in second use French Oak barrels.

4. La Villa Reserva, 2017, 14% £30.99

• 85% Tempranillo and 15% Mazuelo
• Soils: Sandy loam, chalky, clay and limestone
• Vineyard: Murillo de Rio Leza
• Vines more than 30 years old.
• Winemaking:
  • Handpicked when fully ripe
  • Placed into 300KG crates taken to the winery
  • Vinified separately in Stainless Steel
  • Blended into new French Oak barrels then in older barrels

5. Pucheros Barros de Anfora, 2018, 13.5% £39.60

• An incredibly special and different wine created in October 2011.
• 100% Tempranillo
• Soils: Clay
• Altitude: 400
• Vineyard: La Deshesa
• Vines 80+ years old.
• Winemaking:
  • Handpicked
  • Transported carefully in small crates of 10KG up to 300KG
  • Placed in Stainless Steel tanks and left for 48 hours at temperatures between 5 and 10C
  • Fermentation then takes place at lower temperatures
  • Skins, seeds, and juice is mixed by breaking up the cap by submerging it completely in the liquid (Punching-down)
  • Then aged in ‘Clay Amphoras’ for 10 months.

6. El Miron del Humilladero Vinedo Presfilmozerico, 2020, 14% £160.00

• 100% Garnacha
• Soils: Sand – Pre-phylloxera
• Altitude – 40m
• Vineyard: El Miron del Humilladero – Single Plot
• The vineyard has been officially declared as the oldest singular vineyard in the DOCa Rioja, planted in 1880 (145-year-old vines)
• Vineyard shares its location with a row of seventeen olive trees and three cherry trees.
• Winemaking:
  • Handpicked, carful sorting, destemmed by hand
  • Placed into small 10KG crates.
  • Foot treading
  • Vinified in 1000L Stainless Steel tanks
  • 6 months in French Oak Barrels
  • Only 606 bottles made.

Discussions and questions raised:

• Younger people are saying no to the classical Rioja, wanting to reduce heavier meals and have healthier foods. So, the wines have more freshness and a fruiter style to keep up with these trends.
• What has changed most in the market? By the different soil expressions and different research methods. Climate will change the reflection of the soil from one year to another.
• The winemaker must be more focused in the soil as the consumers are more interested in how the wine is made and its terror.

Concluding thoughts:

Paco Garcia is a reminder that Rioja can be both rooted in history and alive with new energy. The family honours the craft of their ancestors while looking forward with confidence and imagination. Their wines show clarity of fruit, purity of place and true sense of purpose. They prove that when passion meets respect for the vineyard, Rioja can speak to every generation. This is what this winery strives towards, and their wines speak for themselves.