Whenever Finca Allende is mentioned, Rioja fans' hearts beat faster and they go into raptures. After all, its founder, oenologist Miguel Ángel de Gregorio, is one of Spain's most gifted winemakers and had already established Bodega Breton among the region's elite by 1986. Then he discovered a very specific terroir in Briones in the deep north-west of Rioja, a good 30 kilometres from Logrono and less than 10 kilometres from Haro, and this encounter between man and nature had consequences. Subsequently, he bought one small plot after another on a terroir that he considered, with all his experience, to be virtually gifted for the production of great wines. It took him 9 years to bring his first wine onto the market, albeit with some difficulties. However, this wine caused a sensation and the steep rise of Finca Allende began. The climate in Briones is ideal for producing elegant Rioja wines rich in finesse. Warm, dry summers meet harsh, cold winters, both tempered by the cool, humid Atlantic air that blows over the Pyrenees from 70 kilometres to the north. The winery is located in Briones on a hill that rises steeply up to 80 meters from the surrounding countryside. The parcels at Finca Allende lie at 400 to 450 meters above sea level, where the vines grow on a subsoil of loam and clay with a high lime content. The entire range of Rioja-approved grape varieties is cultivated: Tempranillo, Garnachea, Mazuelo and Graciano, as well as the Viura and Mlvasia varieties for white wines. The grapes are carefully harvested in small 20 kilo crates exclusively by hand. In the cellar, Gregorio goes his own way: fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, while ageing takes place in a precisely balanced ratio of French and American oak barrels, with only a proportion of new barrels being used for each vintage. This prevents the wood from becoming too dominant. The 56 hectares, spread over 90 individualistic parcels, produce an annual yield of 300,000 bottles, divided between classic blends of Tempranillo and Graciano, for example, as well as single-varietal Tempranillos and rare single-vineyard wines. The white wines are produced from Viura or as a blend of Viura and Malvasia. What they all have in common is that critics always give outstanding marks when they have a Finca Allende wine in their glass.
