Abel Mendoza, Garnacha Blanca, Rioja, Spain, 2023

Producer Profile

Modest, passionate and in no small part obsessive, Abel Mendoza and Maite Fernández have been making understated wines from their old vine vineyards, high up in the Cantabrian mountains near San Vicente de la Sonsierra since the late 80s.

His intimate knowledge of the diverse terroirs in this spectacular part of Rioja is enthralling, and every barrel tasted reveals startling provenance and true character of the vintage. Abel doesn’t make wines that flatter, they don’t speak of oak regimes, but rather of the quality of his fruit, expressed in its most honest form.

Viticulture

From a selection of plots with vines grown on calcareous clay soils.

Winemaking

Fermentation in new French barrels with 5 months of battonage until bottlling.

Oak Ageing

Time: 5 Months
Type: French
% wine oaked: 100
% new oak: 100

Tasting Note

This viscous, mouth-filling wine offers notes of toast, red and green apples, caramel and almond.

Food Matching

Grilled shellfish, asparagus, fried eggs, soft-paste cheeses

Awards

Tim Atkins Rioja Special Report 2025 93 Points
Abel Mendoza and Maite Fernández use grapes from a series of parcels in San Vicente de la Sonsierra to produce this new French oak-fermented and aged Garnacha Blanca. Textured and leesy, it has top notes of jasmine and stem ginger and a palate of lychee, nectarine and lemon zest. 2025-29. 93 Points, TA, February 2025