Meeting Carlos Mazo and tasting his wines in his humble winery down a side-street in Aldeanueva de Ebro, near Rioja's eastern boundary, verged on an out-of-body experience. The softly spoken, erudite Carlos speaks thoughtfully and without fanfare, every word carefully considered and imbued with meaning. It is a quality that I could argue his wines possess as well: they are restrained, profound and unforgettable. It is a privilege to offer them to you today.
Order by midday on Monday 6th July
For the philosophical Carlos, everything begins with origin. His ambition is not simply to make great wine, but to help reveal the overlooked potential of Rioja Oriental by identifying the truly exceptional sites within its vast landscape. This is a region of around 8,000 hectares spread across five villages, long overshadowed by Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, yet Carlos believes its future lies in understanding and preserving what makes these vineyards unique.
Together with his wife Isa Ruiz, Carlos founded his winery in 2012, which was previously known as ‘Vinos en Voz Baja’, becoming the first generation in their families to make and bottle their own wines. Both families had grown grapes in the region for generations, but Carlos saw purpose and potential in protecting the old bush vines that were slowly disappearing around him. Without his intervention, many of his family’s garnacha vines would have been removed, unable to compete economically with the more productive trellised tempranillo vineyards.
Today, Carlos farms just six hectares across ten small parcels in Alfaro, Aldeanueva de Ebro, Autol, Calahorra and Rincón de Soto. His vines are low-yielding bush vines, often planted as field blends, with garnacha at their heart alongside varieties such as tinto velasco, tempranillo, viura and calagraño scattered throughout. The vineyards range from valley sites at 360–380 metres to higher-altitude plots on Mount Yerga and the foothills of the Sierra de los Agudos, places where garnacha thrives in these warmer, more Mediterranean climes.
Carlos talked of learning much and drawing inspiration from the recently departed Emmanuel Reynaud, winemaker of the legendary Château Rayas, whose approach to garnacha has become a benchmark for the variety, one built not on power or extraction, but on finesse and the expression of extraordinary vineyards. Carlos’ wines are a lesson in restraint and transparency: pale, aromatic and seemingly delicate, yet carrying remarkable depth, energy and structure beneath the surface. The 2024 vintage was a vintage of energy rather than weight showcased by the alluring perfume and tension found across the range.
