80% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha, and 10% Mazuelo

Rioja, Spain

1964, Rioja’s vintage of the century!

Traditional Rioja reds commonly draw on Tempranillo for structure and red fruit character, with Graciano adding acidity and aromatic lift, and Mazuelo contributing colour and backbone. Limited records show this is 80% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha, and 10% Mazuelo.

The estate’s historic style centred on large wooden fermentation vats, American oak maturation and extended bottle ageing. Its 1964 wines demonstrate the traditional Rioja emphasis on patience and development in the cellar. This wine is aged for 18 months in large wooden vats, before spending 6 months in 225 litre American oak barriques, and 1 year in bottle per tradition.

The winery was founded in 1890 by Frederick Anglade Saurat, a négociant from Bordeaux. When the phylloxera aphid devastated French vineyards in the late 19th century, French winemakers flooded into Northern Spain looking for exceptional fruit. Saurat partnered with Spanish investors to bridge the two cultures - hence the name ‘Franco-Española’ (French-Spanish). They married meticulous Bordeaux production techniques with vibrant Rioja grapes, effectively pioneering the category of elegant, cellar worthy ‘fine Rioja wines’. 

The winery quickly caught the attention of high society and cultural icons. King Alfonso XIII was a frequent visitor and patron of the estate. Decades later, Ernest Hemingway - a legendary devotee of Spanish culture and wine - famously spent time hanging out at the Logroño cellars, championing their traditional reds during his travels through the country.