Bideona
Bideona farms parcels in Rioja Alavesa, at the foot of the Sierra Cantabria mountain range
Bodega Bideona is an important new estate in Rioja Alavesa whose ambition is simple: to restore the primacy of terroir in Rioja wines. The brainchild of Andreas Kubach MW, a veteran of the Spanish wine business, Bideona (meaning ‘the good way’ in Basque) had their first harvest in 2018. Already the estate is being celebrated for its vibrant, fresh wines unobscured by extended time in oak.
At the establishment of Bideona, Andreas and his co-investors purchased a failing winery and its 288 plots of old, hillside vines on the limestone soils of Rioja Alavesa. A modern winery was constructed to enable the vinification of these parcels, and the scene was set for the production of terroir-specific wines. These wines are a rarity in a region that remains committed to its use of oak as its distinguishing feature. Abandoning this is outdated practice also means that Bideona rejects the Crianza/Reserva system, predicated on time spent in oak. Instead, the wines are classified into a quality pyramid similar to that of Burgundy: regional, single village and single vineyard wines. Terroir expression is at the heart of everything Bideona stands for.
The Wines
Bideona has two quality levels in its regional wines: Laderas (‘hillsides’), a blend of sites from vines approximately 35 years old; and Parcelas (‘parcels’), a blend of sites with an average vine age of 50 years. Above this are the village level wines: Laguardia, a wam village at the bottom of the Sierra de Cantabria range, harvested first and offering a juicy, accessible style; Villabuena, in the mid-slope and producing a ‘middle’ style, combining richness and freshness; and Samaniego, the literal high point, and a wine of considerable tannic power and depth of fruit. The village wines use a code on the front label as a reference to the name of the village; this is a nod to the (now overturned, absurd) ban on mentioning the name of the village on the label unless the winery was also located in the same village.
Cofrades and Galtzada are two single vineyard wines, made from particularly old vines of singular character and authority.
Laderas 2021 Tech sheet | Label
Las Parcelas (tinto) 2021 Tech sheet | Label
Laguardia L4GD4 2020 Tech sheet | Label
Villabuena V1BN4 2020 Tech sheet | Label
Samaniego S4MG0 2020 Tech sheet | Label
Cofrades 2021 Tech sheet | Label
Galtzada 2022 Tech sheet | Label
The wines are aged in a variety of containers, including concrete, stainless steel, and used and new French oak of various sizes. Each maturation schedule is different, for each wine and vintage, reflecting the requirements of the year. Seeking velvety fruit and tannin textures, Bideona wines are released relatively late, to allow tannins to soften. A horizontal tasting of the different village wines from a single vineyard is eye-opening; these vinos de pueblo are just as different in taste as their equivalents in Burgundy or Bordeaux. This return to terroir is a thrilling – and long overdue – moment for Rioja, and we are delighted to represent such an important producer in this movement.
