Made from 80% Tempranillo, 20% red Grenache from vineyards in the 3 sub-areas of Rioja with different soil types: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, northward-facing in the foothills of the Sierra de la Demanda.
Sorting of the grapes, de-stemming and light pressing of the grapes, prior to alcoholic and malolactic fermentation.
The wine is aged in medium-roasted white American and French oak barrels for 14 months, with decanting every 6 months to facilitate the natural filtering process. It then stays in the bottle for refinement.
- Red color with a ruby disk. Aromas of ripe red fruits, toasted and vanilla. Medium bodied, soft, well-structured mouth and elegant tannins. Its finish provides notes of spices and fruits. Ideal wine to pair with tapas, cheeses, meats and legumes in general.
Baron Frederick Anglade Saurat, from Bordeaux, founded Bodegas Franco-Españolas in 1890, as a partnership between France and Spain at a critical moment in Rioja, when the French came to the region in an attempt to replace their vineyards devastated by the phylloxera.
A year later, the first iconic wines were produced from the winery: Diamante as well as Estilo Borgoña, which was renamed Rioja Bordón in the 1950s, and was redesigned as Bordón in 2017.
The French sold their shares in 1920, 15 years after the death of Anglade, and the winery became completely Spanish.
King Alfonso XIII visited the winery in 1903 and in 1925, and Ernest Hemingway did so in 1956.
The end of Prohibition in the USA in 1933 and the resurgence of the Regulatory Council in 1953 provided a boost to Rioja wine exports. Franco-Españolas now has a presence in many major European cities.
The businessman Marcos Eguizábal (1919 – 2009) bought Bodegas Franco-Españolas in 1984 and the first centenary of the winery was celebrated in 1990.
In 2015, the winery celebrated its 125th anniversary before Borja Eguizábal took control of the company in 2016, representing the 3rd generation of the Eguizábal family as owners of the winery.
Its privileged location in Logroño, on the banks of the Ebro River, has made Bodegas Franco-Españolas a witness to the history of Logroño. It is a benchmark for the leisure and cultural industry in La Rioja.
Historically, the red wines of Rioja have been produced by mixing the native varieties present in the region: Tempranillo, Grenache, Carignan and Graciano.
For this reason, we use grapes from different areas, grown in our own vineyards or those of the small viticulturists with whom the winery has agreements dating back more than 30 years.