El Coto 875m Finca Carbonera Rioja Chardonnay is a high-quality Chardonnay with fresh citrus, peach, and tropical aromas and a creamy texture from bâtonnage. It has a velvety palate with stone fruit flavours and a hint of hazelnut and vanilla, allowing it to be enjoyed both as an aperitif or a delightful accompaniment to food. A good match with a fish stew, rice soup, foie, oily fish and seafood. Serving temperature: (10-12) º C

About the Producer

El Coto was founded in 1970 in Rioja Alavesa and has grown from modest beginnings into one of the best known of Rioja producers. Its first bottling was released in 1975.

Today, El Coto has over 700 hectares of vineyard in production across the three Rioja DOCa sub-zones of Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. El Coto is the leading quality brand in Rioja and among the top-selling Spanish wines in Europe.

El Coto is the largest vineyard owner in the Rioja region which provides a tremendous ability to control the quality of the grapes which go into their wines.  Most of the fruit used is sourced from their own sites.  Their outstanding Red wines  are made with grapes picked primarily in the heart of Rioja Alta at their own estate at Cenicero.  An increased focus on sustainability, in both the winery and the vineyard, includes the use of cover crops and preventative pest management.  They are not just stopping at sustainable agriculture either, currently El Coto are in the process of converting around 40 hectares of vineyards in Los Almendros.

White Rioja continues its rise in popularity and El Coto have invested in new sites to supply demand.  With pockets of the new property climbing 900 metres altitude, this is the highest vineyard in the region, and the elevation and aspect is ideal for the planted white varieties including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo.  El Coto Rioja Blanco contains a small proportion of Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo to back up the primary Viura.  The addition of these varieties adds freshness and aromatic intensity to the blend.  The El Coto ‘875m Finca Carbonera’ Chardonnay, tips the hat to the high-altitude Finca Carbonera vineyard where the grapes are grown.  For extra texture and flavour it is barrel-fermented and aged for three months in new French oak barrique.

Vineyard and Winery

The grapes for this Chardonnay are sourced from El Coto's Finca Carbonera estate, at 875 metres above sea level, making it the highest vineyard in Rioja and ideal for the new white grape varieties approved by the Rioja Regulatory Board. A wide diurnal range aids the slow, steady ripening of the grapes, ensuring they retain fresh acidity and perfumes. The vineyard sits on a glacis – a sloping bank beneath an old fortress - with stony top soils that provide good drainage and aid in the health and maturation of the grapes.

The grapes were destemmed, cold macerated and gently pressed at the winery. Fermentation took place at 16ºC in 100% new, untoasted French oak barriques. After fermentation, the wine remained on the lees for a period of time, with stirring carried out in order to increase complexity and texture. It was then aged for 10 weeks in oak before bottling.