Bodegas Bilbaínas

Bodegas Bilbaínas is the oldest bottling firm of La Rioja. It is the winery with the largest area of underground cellars in the region (3,400 m2) and the largest area of vineyards in the municipality of Haro, the emblematic capital of La Rioja Alta. The privileged quality vineyards are spread over an area of 250 hectares that provide the cellar with locally harvested grapes, which ensures rapid processing without loss of quality. The winery produces, within its range, some of the most prestigious and iconic wines of La Rioja, being the best known Pomal Vineyard, Vineyard Zaco, Royal Carlton and La Vicalanda.

The origins of the winery go back to the year 1859 when Savignon Frères & Cie., Settled in Haro, fleeing from the phylloxera that affected the Gallic vineyards. In 1901, a group of Bilbao businessmen acquired the winery and formed the company Bodegas Bilbaínas.

Viña Pomal was conceived by Don Santiago de Ugarte, co-founder of Bodegas Bilbaínas and first Managing Director of the Company. The first label in which Viña Pomal appears as a denomination belongs to a Special Reserve of the 1904 vintage (a truly exceptional vintage).

Although they would later converge on a single brand, in 1904, along with Viña Pomal, Castle Pomal was also born, which, destined for the British market, reveals the importance that the international dimension of the brand has always had and always has. Curiously, only on the Castle Pomal labels was the coat of arms of the Spanish Royal House, of which the winery was an official wine supplier.

In the north of Logroño, in Haro is the vineyard of Bodegas Bilbaínas. Its 250 hectares, owned in the most prestigious enclave of the wineries of Rioja Alta, nourish the winery's own grape and make it one of the most extensive and excellent vineyards of the Rioja community.
In addition to its extension, the vineyard stands out for the proximity of the payments with the wineries, a unique fact in La Rioja that favors the quality, since the time elapsed between the harvest and the entrance of the grape in the winery is minimal. On the other hand, the tertiary soils composed of limestones, marls and sandstones (unique characteristics in the northern zone of the Rioja Alta) and the climatic mixture between the Mediterranean softness and the Atlantic effects, give rise to excellent harvests, the most suitable for the production of aging wines.

Viña Pomal vineyard, which includes a traditional stand among the vids, is a payment of 120 ha. Planted for the first time at the beginning of the 20th century, today the oldest vines of Viña Pomal go back to 1971.

In Bodegas Bilbaínas, both traditional practices and others typical of the most advanced viticulture are combined to guarantee the highest quality. Among the first, manual pruning, green pruning, manual leaf removal, grape removal and manual harvesting are practiced. Among the latter: precision viticulture or the technique of sexual confusion against pests.

History shows that the ability and willingness to innovate is a trait almost born in Bodegas Bilbaínass. The creative restlessness and the mobilizing role of the Enology teams is key to maintaining these dynamics. The responsible for Enology in Bodegas Bilbaínas is Alejandro López and he owes many of the most recent initiatives of Bodegas Bilbaínas.

Viña Pomal is one of the most exceptional wines with the longest tradition in the country. A wine faithful as few to the classic style of authentic Rioja. The excellent characteristics of the vineyard, owned by the winery itself, the careful selection of the grapes - 100% Tempranillo - and the careful process of aging in Bordeaux barrels of American oak give Viña Pomal that unique style that places it as a standard among the Rioja wines.

Since its first appearance, in 1908, Viña Pomal has managed to adapt to the new times without losing sight of the original characteristics that have given it its recognition and prestige: elegant, balanced and with delicate aging notes.