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Bodegas Izadi: A history of innovation, authenticity and commitment to Rioja’s whites

Buoyed by its fierce devotion to exceptional quality, Spanish winery Bodegas Izadi showcases white native varieties and exceptional fruit from old bush vines.

Bodegas Izadi sits in Rioja Alavesa on the border of the Basque country.

(Image credit: Bodegas Izadi sits in Rioja Alavesa on the border of the Basque country)

By Decanter Staff

Last updated 21 October 2024 In Features

Bodegas Izadi represents a new generation of Rioja wineries: innovative, insatiably curious and diverse. Founded by the entrepreneur Gonzalo Antón in 1987, this boutique estate is committed to the highest standards of winemaking and site expression, producing exceptional wines from old bush vines and an impressive array of native white grape varieties.

Celebrating diversity – of soils, grapes and styles

Rioja is extremely heterogeneous, offering a myriad of distinct soils and mesoclimates. Indeed, it is this diversity of terroir that Gonzalo Antón first sought to promote and share, collaborating with a group of like-minded friends at the heart of Rioja Alavesa in the Basque Country.

Testament to this celebrated winery’s future-looking approach and environmental commitment, Izadi also holds the ‘Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection’ (SWfCP) certification from the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV).

Managing a portfolio of 178ha, Izadi cultivates vines in the communes of Villabuena, Samaniego and Ábalos and produces a wide range of wine styles. Indigenous varieties such as Garnacha Tinta and the white Viura thrive in the calcareous soils – and temperate climate – of the Alavesa zone. Meanwhile low-yielding, bush-trained vines deliver very precise, site-specific Rioja reds, where the fruit and oak coexist harmoniously.

Specialists in white wines

A key focus for Izadi is white wines: from the Larrosa Blanca, made from 100% Garnacha Blanca and fermented in stainless steel, to the top-of-the-range Izadi Selección Blanco. Here, the best quality grapes are selected from the old vineyards of Rioja Alavesa. A blend of six native white varieties – Viura, Malvasía, Tempranillo Blanco, Garnacha Blanca, Maturana Blanca and Turruntés, this textured white is partially matured in French oak and offers notes of vanilla, citrus and fennel.

El Regalo Viñedo Singular

Meanwhile, the Viñedos Singulares (single estate) classification introduced in 2017 is building momentum. Izadi produces an outstanding single-terroir wine called El Regalo Viñedo Singular. Based around a parcel first planted in 1936, these old bush vines yield small berries of exceptional Tempranillo fruit, transformed into a singular expression of Rioja’s ancient landscape and soils.

Intense in colour and rich in extract, the appropriately named El Regalo (gift) offers red fruit and eucalyptus on the nose, leading into a complex palate of warm spices, black fruit and white pepper.

From old vine single-vineyard expressions, to exquisite white blends, Bodegas Izadi truly offers an exciting take on winemaking in Rioja.