Anza Rioja 'Especial' 2020

Diego Magaña is among a new generation of terroir-focused Spanish winemakers harnessing freshness and vitality from old-vine plots high up in Rioja Alavesa.

Working alongside his father Juan at the family’s bodega in Navarra since the mid-2000s, Diego launched his first solo project from the cellars of Bierzo superstar Raúl Pérez to critical acclaim in 2014.

In 2016, Diego realised a lifelong dream of working vineyards in Rioja Alavesa when he acquired 2.5ha of ancient bush vines at the foot of the Sierra Cantabria mountain range. He farms 4.5ha of Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha Maturana, Viura, and Malvasia by hand and with the aid of horses.

Vinified gently parcel-by-parcel, Diego’s wines are fermented with native yeasts in open-top vats. Forgoing Rioja’s traditional Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva oak-ageing categories, he believes that “the only recipe is that there is no recipe” and ages his wines as each vineyard and vintage dictates. Made in miniscule quantities, they offer sumptuous, floral-tinged fruit and fine chalky tannins, as well as enormous cellaring potential.

Magaña’s portfolio starts with the brilliant value ‘village-level’ ‘Anza’ moving up to single-vineyard cuvées ‘CDVIN’ – a blend of Garnacha and white Viura from a 95-year-old site – and ‘San Ginés’ – a parcel of four Tempranillo clones planted in 1900. Lastly, Diego’s sublime ‘Grand Cru’ cuvée ‘Especial’ utilises the best fruit from a selection of his oldest parcels.

While still relatively unknown in the UK, Diego has rapidly ascended to Rioja’s upper echelons, joining the likes of José Gil and Artuke in pushing the potential of what can be achieved in the appellation. Shrine to the Vine is thrilled to offer this tiny allocation of Diego’s single-vineyard cuvées exclusively to the UK.

Diego’s oldest vines. Deeply layered with black cherry and mocha. Huge ageing potential.