Pago de Larrea: family identity

Pago de Romañíguez, a natural terrace in Elciego on the Ebro river that lies on the border between the Basque province of Alava and the town of Cenicero in La Rioja, is the origin of this small family-run bodega with a long winemaking tradition. Luis Javier Larrea, father of the present generation, founded Viña Salceda in the 1960s with his brothers. Before selling his stake in this renowned winery in 2000, he acquired the 17 hectares of Pago de la Romañíguez which he planted and replanted with his children in mind. Nowadays, this vineyard defines the identity of Pago de Larrea’s wines.

Luis Larrea manages Pago de Larrea, a small winery in which the eight siblings of the family work together, contributing their expertise from different professional disciplines, but above all, their passion for wine and for this small family business. María Larrea, one of the most renowned winemakers in Rioja and Luis’s sister, is the technical manager of Pago de Larrea. Launched in 2003, the business produces on average 100,000 bottles a year and is now firmly established in Logroño and northern Spain, exporting around 25% of its output to the European countries where Rioja wines are appreciated the most: Holland, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom and Austria. “We had the vineyard, an estate that provides us with very good grapes, and the enthusiasm to embark on a project of our own,” explains Luis Larrea.

The charming Romañíguez estate, originally planted with Tempranillo plus a little Garnacha and Viura, sits on one of the first terraces overlooking the Ebro. The family also grows Graciano around the winery and some years ago launched a spectacular wine with this variety that is aged in 300-litre French oak barrels for six months. Pago de Larrea also makes Verderón, a blend of Viura and Malvasía from the limited number of white vines they grow. The cuvée 8 en Caecus represents the eight siblings of the Larrea family who, to a greater or lesser extent, are involved in the winery. “It is a selection of Tempranillo grapes from a specific part of the estate,” says Luis Larrea. The most traditional wines of Pagos de Larrea —although none of them could be defined as such— are Caecus Joven, Caecus Crianza and Caecus Reserva. Pago de Larrea has a wine tourism programme with a range of activities that are all taken care of by the family.