Twenty years ago, we decided to meet in Rioja Alta to celebrate our regular lunches with friends. We came from very different places, but we were united above all by our passion for discovering and enjoying gastronomy and wine.
This time we arrived a little early and took a detour along a small road to a small village where the silhouette of an old castle stood out. This decision was almost a source of inspiration.
The village was Sajazarra. We were amazed by its surroundings: a succession of hills covered in vines, with an air of Atlantic influence.
It was then that our project began to take shape. Near the village, on a hill, we could see a small winery. It caught our attention and we decided to approach it.
First we had to cross a river and we soon discovered, almost magically, that this was the place we wanted to be.
Crossing the bridge over the Ea River was a simple gesture. Over time it became a symbol. Once on the other side, the adventure began.
This little winery seemed like the perfect place for our dream. Comfortable, practical and with good views of the beautiful landscape that is Rioja Alta.
But the most important thing was to spend time getting to know our surroundings: the nature, the crops, the mountains and the wildlife.
Here, the vineyards are very close to the wilderness. This contact gives it its character. We like to get lost on the mountain paths, on the country roads.
We have discovered ancient ruins, hidden vineyards and surprising places. And we have come to understand this land so well that our wines clearly and honestly express all the nuances of its personality.
Driven by our passion and a shared dream, we decided to make our own wine. After the first promising vintages, we began working with the renowned winemaker Basilio Izquierdo. It was like graduating in Rioja classicism. Something very big.
Years later, through an old friendship with a winery in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, we came into contact with a young but already renowned winemaker, Julien Viaud, and invited him to visit our region.
Julien Viaud was fascinated by the profile of the wines that could be made from our vines. They conveyed transparency, freshness and a different kind of purity.
We proposed that he work with us. Today, with him, our new collection of wines delves deeper into the terroir and updates the historical link between Rioja Alta and Bordeaux.
The chronicles tell us that, at the beginning of the Middle Ages, our lands were the first in La Rioja to be replanted with vines. In the heat of the Reconquest, vineyards were planted around small chapels and monasteries, and villages such as ours, Sajazarra, 10 kilometres from Haro, were born.
All this history has left a legacy of naturalness and wisdom. It is not surprising that, in the 19th century, French vine-growers came to Rioja Alta after being hit by the phylloxera plague, attracted by the region’s vineyards and the quality of its wines.
France had been exporting wine since before the French Revolution (1798). Prestigious wineries such as Château Margaux and Château Lafite Rothschild were the forerunners of today’s wine industry. Around 1850, phylloxera attacked a large part of France’s vineyards, destroying almost all production. The French looked for similar areas where they could plant their vines and continue the wine market.
In the Haro region of La Rioja, they found the ideal conditions to continue producing their wines, thus creating the famous Barrio de la Estación and Rioja wine as we know it today. Over the years, La Rioja has been awarded the Qualified Designation of Origin, making it one of the most important wine-producing regions in Spain and even Europe.
The climate of the area and the characteristics of the soil create the ideal environment for the production of selected and unique wines.
Puente del Ea claims our territory: the small wine valleys of the river Ea, where Atlantic and continental influences penetrate.
The River Ea rises on the edge of the Meseta and flows into a tributary of the Ebro: the River Tirón.
Our brand is also a vision: to build bridges with the whole world, to take the quality and personality of our wines wherever we go.
Freshness, wind and light.
History, viticulture and experience.
And above all, one key element: the vision of a young project born of friendship, admiration for a unique land and a passion for wine.
Bodegas y Viñedos
del Puente del Ea SL.
Camino del Aguachal, s/n
26212 Sajazarra
(La Rioja, Spain)
Tel. +34 941 320 405
info@puentedelea.com
