In 1840, Don Felipe de la Mata, 8th Marquis of Vargas, decided to plant the first grapevines at the Hacienda Pradolagar. Since then, four generations of this family lineage have cultivated the vineyards on this estate. Don Pelayo de la Mata, Count of San Cristóbal, and his brother Don Francisco, 9th Marquis of Vargas, who was elected mayor of Logroño, kept the passion for the vines at Pradolagar alive.
An especially prominent figure was Don Hilario de la Mata, 10th Marquis of Vargas and father of the current Marquis, as he was chairman of an important winery group and co-proprietor of another firm in the sector. Don Hilario, an enthusiast of the world of wine just like his predecessors, always dreamed of having a winery of his own and creating a wine with the family’s name. Sadly, he died while still very young and was unable to see his dream made reality.
In 1989, Don Pelayo de la Mata, 11th Marquis of Vargas, and his siblings, saw their father’s dream made reality when today’s winery was built at the Hacienda Pradolagar estate, in Logroño, at the heart of the Rioja Alta.
D. Pelayo de la Mata: “I remember my father’s expression, the gleam in his eyes when he spoke with overwhelming enthusiasm about having his own winery, a dream that he had in mind for many years. As his children, we could not let him down.”
Tasting Notes
Ripe red fruit. Red ruby color, with a hint of a fresh and vibrant character and a touch of sweet spiciness. The wine has a good structure. It is complex, silky and balsamic. Sweet and elegant tannins, that have been polished during the ageing in American, French and Russian oak.
The handpicked grapes used for our Marqués de Vargas Reserva come from our 50 ha vineyard “Hacienda Pradolagar”. Marqués de Vargas subscribes to the environmentally friendly concept and practice of sustainable winegrowing. Herbicides and pesticides are not used in our vineyards, occasionally only organic fertilizers.are employed.
The wine is made traditionally according to the old-world methods side by side with the state-of-the-art technology. The wine is bottled without any fining or filtering resulting in an unprocessed and fully natural wine.
- Harvest date: From September 14th till October 3rd, 2012
- Vineyard: "Pradolagar” (50 ha of bush vines) with the average age of vines of 35 years, Poor, shallow, infertile calcareous – clay soils and free drainage to promote moderate vegetative vigour
- Varietals 85% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo, 5% Garnacha
- Winemaking: Classic with destemming, fermented in stainless steel tanks. for 11/13 days, at controlled temperatures between 29-30ºC. Daily remontage and pumping over and long maceration for a period of 12 days after fermentation to ensure a voluptuous texture
- Ageing: 20 months in American, French and Russian oak Barrels from different coopers: Seguin Moreau, Demptos and Maury, with a máximum use of 5 years. Every year renewal of 20% of the barrels. Regular racking every 5 months at the beginning, then every 6 months.