WINES WITH A VOICE OF THEIR OWN
BODEGAS ONDARRE
Los Otros de Ondarre are wines which spring from small vineyards in Viana and its surroundings and which to us are true jewels from nature. They are notable for their beauty, their history, their small size and the small quantity of fruit they produce. Until now their voice had largely gone unheard. But the time has come to discover their own life. La vida de Los Otros.
LA ANTANILLA. WINE OF PLACE
There is a place in Rioja, rarely visited, where the vines age slowly. The soil is poor, wild vegetation grows freely, a solitary cherry tree guards the landscape and only the buzzing of bees breaks the silence. The vines, planted in a staggered pattern almost a century ago, remain open to the sun, with multiple arms and a single thumb. Among them, some ancient varieties still sprout, resisting oblivion.
Everything here requires patience: the bunches are small, loose, with spherical berries that are so scarce they barely fill a basket. Serene Garnachas, born far from the noise. Cultivated with respect.
There are wines that can only be born in places like this. Places that need very few words to describe what they are. Sometimes the buzzing of bees and the shade of a cherry tree are enough. Solitary.
LA ASOMADA. (THE CREST OF THE HILL). THE CALL OF DESIRE
On the way to a hilltop you come to a point where you can begin to see what is on the
other side of the crest.
From that moment, the desire is not just about getting to the top. And we call these places on the landscape … La Asomada.
Two high-altitude vineyards, Cuenca and Valderroma, standing at around 700 metres, with shallow, not very fertile soils, presented themselves to us as an object of desire. Everything they offered us made us think about the need to create a wine which would express them to the full.
And we felt the call of the unknown. Never before had we made a wine without any cask ageing, or using only Tempranillo grapes. So we don’t know what awaits us on the other side, but we glimpse something wonderful which makes us want to continue.
That’s why everyone quickens their step on La Asomada. Where nobody stands still.
LA ÚLTIMA VIURA. (THE LAST VIURA). A FINAL GIFT
Today, Jesús’s vineyard no longer exists. After giving us spectacular fruit for nearly 50 years, it was nearing the end of its productive life. For years and year, giving us the best Viura, with yields of less than 30% and gradually achieving a maturity that we were able to transfer to our wines.
As a parting gesture, and to thank it for its great service, in this final vintage we decided to make a special wine so that the memory would remain fixed in our mind.
On 11 September 2019 we shared that vineyard’s final harvest. Now its legacy has arrived, at the hands of a wine which for us preserves the history of each and every one of the grapes which that vineyard gave us. From the first to the very last.
Today, Jesùs’s vineyard no longer exists. But it has left us this final gift.
LOS OTROS
We have spent a lot of time discovering tiny vineyard plots in Viana and its surroundings which are
For us the very essence of nature. We call them jewels, because of their beauty, their exclusiveness, their small size, low yields, for their symbolic meaning, for their sentimental value. They represent everything we love.
Now the time has come to give back some of what they have given us. Until now they had offered us spectacular grapes which, with others, contributed to making of fine quality and character. The time has come for them to express themselves on their own through wines which spring from the heart. Some with a fleeting character and others with the gift to stay with us. You never know. The future of Los Otros is still to be written.
