El Coto Rioja Blanco

El Coto de Rioja, located in Oyón, was founded in 1970 by a group of winemakers committed to creating a new type of Rioja. Its first bottling was released in 1975. Today, with its widely admired red, white and rosado expressions, El Coto is the leading quality brand in Rioja and among the top-selling Spanish wines in Europe. As a measure of its standing in the appellation, El Coto’s 1,200 acres of estate vineyards are located in all three subzones of Rioja: Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. 

As the largest owner of vineyards in Rioja, El Coto’s diverse estate vineyards are focused on specific visions for the brand. Looking to the future of Rioja whites, El Coto has heavily invested in their Carbonera holding, consisting of over 200 acres of vineyards in Rioja Baja dedicated to international varieties now allowed by the appellation, ushering in a new era for Rioja whites. The recently incorporated Los Almendros estate adds an additional 740 acres of vineyards to the impressive estate holdings and is the largest single vineyard in the appellation. Its plantings include Garnacha and Tempranillo for El Coto’s Rosado. El Coto’s Cenicero holding near the east bank of the Najerilla River, a tributary of the Ebro is home to the grapes for their reserve wines. Only through direct vineyard ownership can El Coto guarantee the high quality of these reserve wines year after year. Beyond the estate holdings, additional grapes are sourced from 5,000 acres in the region. 

Investment continues in the winery, where the facilities are regularly updated with the latest technology. Its cellars are home to a collection of over 65,000 barrels for the aging. El Coto is one of the largest buyers of barrels, ensuring the finest materials are always available to for the aging of its wines. To ensure consistent quality and supply, El Coto has over 5.5 million bottles of Reserva and Gran Reserva cellaring at the estate at any given time. 

Tradition and innovation are at the core of El Coto. While continuing the proud tradition of Crianza production, the brand leads the way for new white wine production in the region. Its extensive cellar of Reserva and Gran Reserva wines is complemented by the creation of the single vineyard Real project that brings a modern interpretation to high quality wines from Rioja. Constantly looking forward, El Coto has solidified its role not only as a guardian of Rioja tradition, but a global leader for the region.