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Bodegas Sonsierra unveils two new single vineyard wines

14 April 2025 By Miona Madsen

Spanish winemaker Bodegas Sonsierra has expanded its Singular Vineyard collection by introducing two new Rioja Alta wines.

Bodegas Sonsierra

The largest co-operative of vine growers in the village of San Vicente de la Sonsierra in Rioja, Bodegas Sonsierra, has added two new single vineyard wines to its portfolio: Soltierra, the winery’s first single-varietal Garnacha, and Quitasueños, a Tempranillo. The latest expressions will join the winery’s four existing wines that enjoy the distinctive Singular Vineyard classification: El Rincón de los Galos, El Manao, El Muérdago, and Duermealmas.

Produced in the cutting-edge Viñedos de Sonsierra micro-winery, opened in 2017, the premium Viñedos Singulares come from six different old vine parcels in the hills surrounding the San Vicente de la Sonsierra village.

The experimental winery features small tanks, some as small as 500 litres for micro-vinifications, employed by the innovative Intranox Oresteo system for pump-free remontage. This computer-controlled system captures CO2 released during fermentation and redirects it over the cap of grape skins, enabling gentle and manageable extraction while reducing the winery’s carbon footprint. Each wine and vintage undergoes a tailored ageing process to best respect and showcase the unique characteristics of its fruit.

The winery, which was founded in 1961 as the first cooperative in the Rioja denominación de origen calificada (DOCa) region, owns nine parcels recognised as Viñedos Singulares – more than any other winery in the Rioja Alta area and second in the entire DOCa Rioja region. The premium category of singular vineyard wines was established by the DOCa in 2017.

Bodegas Sonsierra also has the opportunity to expand its portfolio in the future by gaining access to more small-plot vineyards. These are hand-harvested and over 60 years old, with some vines exceeding a century. The vineyards vary in altitude, ranging from 400 to nearly 700 meters, and feature different soil types.

Bodegas Sonsierra map

The collection

According to the winery, the Singular Vineyard collection offers six stories among six landscapes and six ways of understanding Sonsierra’s identity.

The first of the two new offerings, Quitasueños 2020, is made with Tempranillo grapes from a parcel located on the edge of the Ebro River and surrounded by forest. Planted in 1950, the vineyard boasts a rich, sandy loam soil. The 2020 vintage is aged 12 months in second-fill American oak barrels, resulting in notes of black cherry and blackberry fruit with sweet vanilla and coconut nuances. Viñedos de Sonsierra Quitasueños 2020 has a suggested retail price (SRP) of €86.

The second new addition to the collection, Soltierra 2020, is the winery’s first single vineyard Garnacha. The vines were planted in 1927 on one of the highest altitude parcels in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, at 620 metres on a 20% incline. The tiny, low-yielding parcel of 0.32 hectares of Garnacha vines is surrounded by thyme and juniper bushes, with an ancient olive tree in the centre of the plot. Limited to only 817 bottles with an SRP of €75, the intensely fruity 2020 vintage was matured 12 months in three 225-litre third-fill French oak barrels.

Viñedos de Sonsierra has also unveiled a new 2019 vintage of its Duermealmas Tempranillo. The wine is made with grapes from an alkaline limestone loam soil parcel at 435 metres altitude, which is thought to have been planted in 1940. The new vintage was aged for an extended period in French oak barrels and retails for €78.

Inspired by mistletoes, which grow in the almond trees among the Tempranillo vines, the winery’s El Muérdago 2020 comes from a west-east slope plot registered in 1960. The wine was aged for 12 months in a 700-litre concrete egg with its lees and retails for €86.

The winery’s El Manao 2020 is limited to just 576 bottles and priced at €89. Named after a south-facing 0.24-hectare vineyard at an altitude of 410 metres, the wine boasts elegance after 20 months in French oak barrels.

The sixth and last single vineyard wine from Viñedos de Sonsierra comes from a particularly shallow soil plot at 490 metres above sea level. El Rincón de los Galos 2018 offers intensity and complexity, achieved with 18 months of maturation in French oak followed by extended bottle ageing. The wine was recognised with a Master medal at the Drinks Business Rioja Masters 2024. The 2018 vintage retails for €75.

Bodegas Sonsierra tour

Tour de La Rioja

On 8 April 2025, Bodegas Sonsierra’s general manager Luis del Águila and export director Pilar Lorenzo hosted nine influential voices in the wine world to share the essence of its Singular Vineyards collection.

The guests included Peter Arijs, director of the Wine Academy at the Consejo Regulador DO Rioja; Tom Perry, a consultant and ambassador for Rioja; Sarah Jane Evans MW, a leading authority on Spanish wines; Amaya Cervera, a journalist and creator of Spanish Wine Lover; Adolfo Gatell, general manager of the Peñín Guide; Anna Harris-Noble, a wine communications and marketing expert; Mónica Peña from La Prensa del Rioja; Leire Diez from NueveCuatroUno; and Laura Lezana from Diario La Rioja.

The nine industry experts were joined by the president of the Government of La Rioja, Gonzalo Capellán, and the minister of agriculture, Noemí Manzanos.

Under the guidance of winemaker Rafa Usoz, guests experienced an immersive visit to three of the winery’s most iconic vineyards: El Manao, El Rincón de los Galos, and Soltierra. The tour provided insight into how the unique characteristics of each plot are transformed into wine. Following this, guests visited the Viñedos de Sonsierra micro-winery, where wines from each single vineyard are produced in small tanks. To conclude the tour, Usoz led the attendees through a collection that celebrates the collection’s six wines, representing six different vineyards.

Bodegas Sonsierra tasting