Tag: Fractional Ownership

  • Member Series: My Third Month The Green Resurrection (and the moment I stopped worrying)

    Member Series: My Third Month The Green Resurrection (and the moment I stopped worrying)

    March at CLOS CIEN.
    The vines are waking up. And so, I think, am I.

    January was pruning. February, the vine wept its first sap and I learned what it meant. I thought I was beginning to understand the rhythm of this place. Then March arrived and the vineyard changed so completely that I had to start paying attention all over again.

    Desborre. Budburst. I had been warned to watch for it. What I was not prepared for was how it would actually feel to see it.

    The Morning I Saw It

    I was standing at the edge of one of the plots on a morning in mid-March, the kind of clear, cold morning where the Cantabrian Mountains are so sharp you feel like you could reach them. And there, at the tips of the pruning cuts, the first woolly green shoots were pushing out. Small. Almost furry. Unmistakably alive.

    After months of bare brown wood and patience, those tiny green points felt enormous.

    This is what all of February was building toward. The sap that wept from the cuts last month was the vine’s vascular system clearing itself, sending water and minerals upward. Now that pressure has done its work. When soil temperature tips above a certain point, the buds can no longer hold back. They swell, split their protective coating, and push out the first growth of the 2026 vintage.

    The vine has survived winter. The growing season has begun. Your wine is on its way.

    Three members of the CLOS CIEN team standing among dormant Vaso vine rows in La Rioja, looking out over the vineyard landscape toward the Cantabrian Mountains in early spring

    Image Source: CLOS CIEN

    What I Did Not Know About a Bud

    Here is something that changed how I think about these vines entirely. What looks like a single dormant bud on each shoot is actually three buds nested inside each other. Millions of years of evolution with one purpose: the vine survives no matter what.

    The primary bud carries this year’s fruit clusters. It is the one everything is organised around. If a late frost kills it, the secondary bud pushes out, carrying roughly half the fruit. If that is lost too, the tertiary bud is the last resort, with almost no fruit but the vine lives.

    I keep thinking about this. The vine has been planning for disaster since before humans existed. It is, in the most practical sense, built to last.

    A vintner using a horse-drawn plough to turn the soil between old Vaso bush vines during La Labranza, the traditional spring ploughing, in a Spanish vineyard with red clay soil

    Image Source: CLOS CIEN

    The First Work of Spring

    While the buds were pushing green outside, the team was moving through the vineyard doing two things I had never heard of before.

    La Labranza, the first ploughing of spring. A light pass through the cover crops and winter weeds between the vines, turning the green matter into the soil where it breaks down and releases nitrogen exactly when the vine needs it. But also, and this surprised me, sealing moisture in. Ploughing breaks the surface crust and stops the process that pulls water upward through the soil and evaporates it into the air. The winter rains get locked underground so the roots can reach them in July when the vineyard runs dry. I had never thought about soil as something that holds memory. It does.

    Then Desnietado, suckering. New shoots appear at the base of the trunk, below the main head of the vine. They are called nietos in Spanish. Grandchildren. They sound charming. They are thieves. Every bit of sap they take is sap the fruit-bearing shoots do not get. In March, while they are still soft, they are snapped off by hand. Tedious, I was told. Essential.

    In the Cellar: The Art of the Blend

    While the vines were waking up outside, something equally important was happening inside the bodega.

    March is the traditional month for El Ensamblaje, the blending. The 2024 harvest has been kept deliberately apart in separate barrels since it was made. Tempranillo from a sandy plot. Graciano from a clay-heavy hillside. Wine from older vines alongside wine from younger ones. Each developing its own character in the dark.

    CLOS CIEN wine bottles resting horizontally in a cellar rack during the ageing process, showing the branded cork and dusty glass of wines maturing in Rioja, Spain

    Now Jaione and the technical team sit down with all of it and decide how these separate voices come together to tell one story. I was told that blending sounds romantic. In practice it begins with a notebook, a pipette, and dozens of small glasses. Ninety parts this, ten parts that. Taste blind. Adjust. Repeat.

    What eventually goes into the bottle is no longer a collection of parts. It is one thing.

    What March Actually Is

    I came into this thinking the exciting months would be harvest and budburst. They are. But I am learning that every month here is doing something that matters.

    Those first green shoots are your 2026 vintage beginning. The blended wine resting in tank is your 2024 vintage finding its final shape. Both things are happening at the same time. The vineyard is always at multiple points in the story simultaneously.

    Next month: the primera inflorescencia, the first tiny flower clusters, the earliest indication of where this year’s grapes will actually form. One of the most fragile moments of the growing season. I am already nervous about the frost.

    Want to follow along as my first year at CLOS CIEN unfolds?

    Subscribe to the Member Series via our newsletter and I will take you through every month of the vineyard calendar.

  • Rioja vs. Bordeaux: What Collectors Need to Know

    Rioja vs. Bordeaux: What Collectors Need to Know

    The case for Rioja has never been stronger.
    And the numbers prove it.

    For decades, Bordeaux has been the default answer for serious wine collectors and vineyard investors. The prestige is real. So is the price tag. But a growing number of collectors are asking a different question: what if Bordeaux is no longer the smartest move?

    La Rioja is not a consolation prize. It is an active choice, and we think, we know that is for good reason.

    The Price Gap Is Not Subtle

    Let’s start where the viral conversation always starts: land prices.

    In 2024, vineyard land in La Rioja averaged around €40,000 per hectare for dry-farmed plots. Bordeaux-Aquitaine as a whole averaged over €101,000 per hectare. And that figure is dragged down by the entry-level appellations. Step into Saint-Emilion or Pauillac and you are looking at €290,000 to well over €2 million per hectare.

    For the same investment that buys you a modest slice of mid-tier Bordeaux, you can own a meaningful, productive parcel in one of the world’s most celebrated wine regions and with room to grow.

    And Rioja is growing. La Rioja land prices have risen consistently at around 3% annually over the past two decades, making it one of Spain’s strongest-appreciating wine regions. Bordeaux, by contrast, has seen significant price corrections at the entry and mid-level in recent years.

    The Wine Is Not a Compromise

    Some collectors hesitate here. They assume “more affordable” means “less serious.” It does not. It’s as simple as nobody had Rioja on their radar before. So that’s why we build CLOS CIEN.

    Rioja produces age-worthy, structured reds built on Tempranillo a grape that rewards patience in the cellar just as Cabernet Sauvignon does. The classification system (Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva) is driven entirely by ageing requirements, not marketing. A Gran Reserva has spent a minimum of five years maturing before it reaches you, with at least two of those in oak. That is not a shortcut wine now is it?

    San Vicente de la Sonsierra, La Rioja, March 2026. Dormant vines frame one of the region's most iconic hilltop villages a landscape shaped by altitude, continental climate, and centuries of winegrowing tradition.

    Bordeaux built its reputation on terroir, tradition, and time. Rioja can match all three! And increasingly, at the international level, it does. Gran Reserva volumes are growing significantly while standard Rioja production softens, a clear signal that the market is moving upmarket.

    Terroir That Tells a Story

    Rioja sits at an altitude – between 300 and 700 metres above sea level – along the Ebro River, with the Cantabrian Mountains to the north acting as a natural shield against Atlantic rain. The result is a continental climate with warm, dry summers and cold winters. Daily temperature swings during the growing season help grapes develop both sugar and acidity, the combination that produces wines with structure and longevity.

    The three sub-zones – Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa, and Rioja Oriental – each offer distinct expressions. Clay-limestone soils. Alluvial plains. Iron-rich red earth. The diversity is real, and it creates wines that tell you exactly where they are from.

    Bordeaux has its gravel banks and its Left Bank-Right Bank distinction. Rioja has its own layered complexity and it is far less picked over.

    Lifestyle and Culture: the Intangible Return

    Numbers matter. So does everything else.

    Bordeaux is a saturated luxury market. Buying into it today means buying into an established hierarchy where your position is clearly defined from the start.

    Rioja is different. The culture is generous, community-minded, and genuinely welcoming to serious newcomers. The food culture – pintxos, local markets, the rhythms of a working vineyard town – is inseparable from the wine. Owners are not just investors; they are participants in something alive.

    La Rioja is also one of the most visited wine regions in Spain, with strong gastro-tourism growth. That is not irrelevant when you are thinking about the long-term value of your investment.

    Resources used:

    • Spanish vineyard land prices (La Rioja ~€40,155/ha, 3% annual appreciation):Vinetur.com – Spanish Vineyard Land Prices Edge Up to €16,327 per Hectare in 2024 Amid Regional Swings (published November 2025)

    • Bordeaux-Aquitaine average (€101,100/ha): iDealwine blog – How much does a hectare of vineyard cost? (data from SAFER 2024/2025 report)

    • Bordeaux appellation specifics (Saint-Emilion €290,000, Pauillac €2M+): Cross-referenced between the iDealwine blog and Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts forum (original SAFER figures)

    • Gran Reserva market growth signal: wein.plus Wine News – Vineyard prices on the Côte-d’Or continue to rise (March 2026 reference to Rioja losing standard volume but Gran Reserva growing significantly)

    • General Bordeaux vineyard price context: Ampelio.fr – French Vineyard Prices: What You Need to Know in 2025 (October 2025)

    The Collector’s Summary

     RiojaBordeaux
    Land Price (avg/ha)~€40,000€101,000–€2M+
    Price appreciation~3% annually (20yr avg)Mixed; corrections at mid-level
    Aging PotentialHigh (Gran Reserva: 5+ years)High
    Market TrajectoryUpmarket shift underwayConsolidation at premium end
    Entry AccessibilityStrongLimited at quality tier
    Culture & LifestyleCommunity, open, growingEstablished, hierarchical

    The question for collectors and investors is no longer whether Rioja belongs in the same conversation as Bordeaux. It does. The question is whether you want to buy into a market that has already peaked or one that is still finding its ceiling.

    Curious about what vineyard ownership in Rioja actually looks like? Explore the CLOS CIEN membership and see how your investment takes root.

  • Member Series: My Second Month: The Vine That Weeps | CLOS CIEN

    Member Series: My Second Month: The Vine That Weeps | CLOS CIEN

    Member Series: My Second Month: 

    The Vine That Weeps (and what it taught me)

    February at CLOS CIEN. The vineyard is still bare. But something is waking up beneath the surface.

    By Elena Ruiz, CLOS CIEN Member

    Last month I watched people pruning vines in the cold and tried to understand why it mattered. This month, the vines answered the question themselves. I’d been warned that February in Rioja looks quiet. And from a distance, it does. The rows of Vaso bush vines still look like gnarled little sculptures against the soil. But get close to the pruning cuts and you see something I had no name for until Brian described it. Crystal-clear drops, slowly falling from the tips of the cuts. One by one.

    In Spanish, this is called El Llorado. The weeping.

    El Llorado: The Moment I Understood the Vine Was Alive

    My first instinct was that something had gone wrong. It looked like the vine was bleeding. But it’s actually the opposite. When soil temperatures creep above 10°C in February, the roots begin drawing water and minerals upward through the old wood. Those drops at the pruning cuts mean the vascular system is clear, the roots survived winter, and the vine is healthy.

    El Llorado Crystal-clear sap weeping from a pruning cut on a dormant vine in early spring, known in Spanish as El Llorado, in a Rioja Alavesa vineyard.

    It’s reassuring once you know what you’re looking at. Your vineyard is waking up. It’s just doing it in the quietest, most unhurried way possible. Which, I’m learning, is how most good things happen here.

    The Vaso: Why Your Vines Don’t Need Wires

    Brian in the vineyard Brian Thompson, founder of Clos Cien, crouching to inspect dormant Vaso bush vines in Rioja Alavesa, with a hilltop village visible in the background.

    This month I finally understood something that had puzzled me since I joined. My vineyard plot doesn’t look like the vineyards I’d seen in Bordeaux or Burgundy, with their neat rows of wire-trained vines. It looks older. More sculptural. Each vine is a freestanding goblet shape, three or four arms reaching up from a central trunk, holding themselves up without any support.

    This is the Vaso style, the ancient Riojan method. And it turns out it’s not old-fashioned. It’s clever. The open goblet shape creates a natural chimney, air circulates through the middle, keeping the grapes dry. The roots, without irrigation, have to go searching deep into the bedrock for water, sometimes 10 to 15 metres down, and they pull up minerals on the way. Fewer grapes grow on a Vaso vine than a trellised one, but every grape that does grow gets more of the vine’s energy.

    Less quantity, more intensity. I keep thinking about how that principle applies to other things too.

    In the Cellar: The First Racking

    While the vineyard was doing its quiet waking-up thing outside, I spent time in the cellar watching what happens to the 2025 harvest now. Last month I learned about topping up barrels. This month: racking, or trasiego, in Spanish.

    Racking in the cellar Wine being racked between oak barrels through a steel transfer pipe in the cellar at Clos Cien, Rioja, Spain.

    After fermentation, wine is naturally cloudy. Spent yeast cells and grape fragments settle to the bottom of the barrel over winter. Racking moves the clear wine carefully from one barrel into a clean one, leaving the sediment behind. But it does something else too. As the wine moves through the air, it picks up a breath of oxygen, which helps fix the deep ruby colour and begins the long, slow softening of the tannins. Rough and grippy now. Smooth and silky, eventually.

    The February cold helps here too. The chill causes tartrate crystals to drop out in the winery rather than later in your bottle. That’s one of the things I’m realising about winemaking: so much of it is about getting problems to happen at the right time, in the right place, under control.

    What a Vaso Wine Actually Tastes Like

    This month’s tasting was the Ruiz de Viñaspre Reserva 2018, a wine made from old Vaso plots with roots reaching through clay and into limestone bedrock. The blend is 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano, which I now know isn’t just a number. Graciano is what gives the wine its bright acidity, the thing that makes your mouth water and allows the wine to age gracefully for a decade or more.

    At the rim: a slight brick tint. That’s what the team called noble age, tannins softening and changing colour over time. On the nose: dried cherries, tobacco leaf, leather, vanilla. On the palate: dense but rounded. Velvet, actually.

    I opened a bottle with friends last weekend and tried to explain all of this before they drank it. I’m not sure I succeeded, but they were very patient with me and very enthusiastic about the wine.

    What February Really Is

    I came into this thinking February would be the quiet month, the gap between pruning and anything exciting. But it’s not a gap at all. The vine is weeping its first sap upward. The 2025 wine is receiving its first breath of oxygen. The shape of your future bottles is quietly forming in dark barrels.

    Everything that happens in these cold, unhurried weeks ends up in the glass a few years from now. I keep coming back to that idea. What’s happening right now, in the mud and the cold and the cellar dark, is your wine starting.

    Next month: budburst. The first real explosion of green. I’m told it’s the most exciting, and most nerve-wracking, moment in the vineyard year. I can’t wait.

    Want to follow along as my first year at CLOS CIEN unfolds?

    Subscribe to the Member Series via our newsletter and I’ll take you through every month of the vineyard calendar.

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  • La Rioja: The Next Frontier for Fine Wine Investors | CLOS CIEN

    La Rioja: The Next Frontier for Fine Wine Investors | CLOS CIEN

    La Rioja is the most Exciting Fine Wine Region on Earth Right now.

    The market is waking up. The wines are ready. The question is whether you are.

    I’ve been living and working in La Rioja for thirty years. I know these vines, these soils, these harvests. And I’ve watched, sometimes with frustration, as the rest of the world caught up with something I’ve always known: Rioja is one of the great wine regions on earth, and most investors still haven’t noticed.

    That’s starting to change. And the window for getting in early is still open, but it won’t stay that way forever.

    The Perception Gap is the Opportunity

    Every year, the fine wine trading platform Liv-ex publishes its Power 100, a ranking of the world’s most valuable and investable wine brands. Burgundy has 39 entries. Bordeaux has 27. Spain has one. One. Vega Sicilia, at number sixteen.

    Tim Atkin MW, in his 2026 Rioja Special Report, puts it plainly. At its best, Rioja belongs at the world’s top table, and produces wines that are every bit as good as great clarets or red Burgundies. And considerably more affordable too.

    That gap between quality and perception is exactly where opportunity lives. Burgundy prices have climbed so steeply that many buyers have been priced out entirely. Bordeaux has had a difficult decade of reckoning with its own relevance. Rioja, meanwhile, has been quietly producing some of the most compelling wines in the world, and almost nobody in the investment mark

    An image showing Liv-ex exchange details and description

    https://www.liv-ex.com/

    Old Vines, Ancient Soils, and a Track Record That Goes Back Centuries 

    Rioja has 13,693 hectares of vines over forty years old. Some parcels have passed their hundredth birthday. These aren’t talking points. They’re the foundation of wines that age better than almost anything else on the planet.

    Atkin writes about pouring old Riojas from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and being frequently amazed by their complexity and longevity. Venerable producers like CVNE, La Rioja Alta, and López de Heredia have given him some of the greatest experiences of his wine-drinking life.

    That longevity matters if you care about what goes in your glass. And it matters even more if you care about the land underlying the wine. Old vine parcels performed much better in the difficult harvests of 2022, 2023 and 2025. Deep root systems, established over decades, give the vines a resilience that younger plantings simply cannot match. When you’re building something to last, that’s the kind of foundation you want.

    Climate Change is Redrawing the Map in Rioja’s Favour

    Here is something most people outside the region don’t know yet. As climate change reshapes wine regions across Europe, La Rioja’s higher altitude sub-zones are becoming some of the most sought-after growing land in the world.

    In Rioja Alavesa, sheltered by the Sierra Cantabria to the north, the cooling influence of altitude is keeping harvests balanced and fresh even as temperatures rise elsewhere. Winemakers who have spent years dismissing certain high-altitude parcels are now scrambling to acquire them. As one producer in the Atkin report put it, in twenty years’ time everyone will be trying to buy land in places like Kripán.

    That revaluation is happening now. The land that will produce the finest wines of the next fifty years is in La Rioja. Some of it is still affordable. Not all of it will be.

    A Classification System That’s Finally Catching Up with the Quality

    One of the structural changes that has been quietly transforming Rioja’s standing is the introduction of single-vineyard and village-level classifications. From the 2017 vintage onwards, Rioja has had Vinos de Municipio (village wines) and Vináedos Singulares (single vineyard wines). These designations mirror what Burgundy built its entire reputation on: the idea that specific places produce specific, unrepeatable wines.

    Atkin notes that Burgundy lovers are already drinking the top Riojas. Álvaro Palacios sells a lot in Beaune. That tells you something important: the people who know the most about terroir-driven wine are looking at Rioja with new eyes.

    The classification infrastructure is now in place. The market just hasn’t priced it in yet.

    This Is the Moment. Here is Why.

    The conditions that create generational investment opportunities in wine are specific. You need quality that outpaces recognition. You need structural change that the broader market hasn’t absorbed. You need a window before perception catches up with reality.

    La Rioja has all three right now. The wines are the best they have ever been. The classification system has been reformed. The climate story is drawing attention from growers and buyers across Europe. And yet the international investment market is still treating Rioja as a value-for-money category rather than a fine wine destination.

    At CLOS CIEN, we have been here for thirty years. We know which parcels matter, which soils hold something special, and which harvests will still be extraordinary in 2040. If vineyard ownership in La Rioja sounds like something you’d like to know more about, let’s talk. If not, no worries at all. But this is a conversation worth having sooner rather than later.

    Source: Tim Atkin MW, Rioja Special Report 2026

  • What Vineyard Ownership Actually Looks Like

    What Vineyard Ownership Actually Looks Like

    This is the part of vineyard ownership in Rioja I love most. Early mornings, boots caked in mud, walking the rows before the sun has had a chance to warm the stones of northern Spain. Most days, it is just the vines, the Cantabrian Mountains of Rioja, and me. No emails, no calls, just time to think about what is happening with the land and with the people who have put their trust in it by becoming vineyard owners here.

    What Does Vineyard Ownership in Rioja Really Mean?

    A lot of people come to Rioja with a dream. They have tasted a bottle that made them pause, maybe while travelling through Spain or sharing wine at a friend’s table, and the idea starts to grow: what if I could own a vineyard in Rioja myself? What if I could take part in making wine in Spain, even just a small parcel? It is a powerful idea. But the reality of vineyard ownership in Spain, as I have learned over thirty years, is both simpler and richer than most expect.

    Vineyard ownership is not about grand gestures or glossy magazine spreads. It is about muddy boots, cold hands and understanding the land parcel by parcel. In February, the vines look bare, almost lifeless. But beneath your feet, the Rioja soil is very much alive. If you want to understand how owning a vineyard in Rioja really works, this is where it begins. You learn where frost lingers, which rows dry first, how the light shifts from one plot to the next. These are not things you see from a tasting room. They are things you learn by being part of the vineyard.

    How Owning a Vineyard in Spain Works from Season to Bottle

    The magic of becoming a vineyard owner happens in the quiet work most people never see. Winter is pruning season. It is when we decide which plots will be assigned to which members, where replanting is needed, and how each parcel will shape the Rioja wines we will bottle together. This is the starting point of your wine. The decisions made here, often with numb fingers and a thermos of coffee, are what you taste in your glass two years later. Vineyard ownership is not instant. It follows the rhythm of the vine.

    Of course, vineyard investment in Rioja comes with challenges. Nature does not work to a business calendar. One year brings perfectly timed rain. Another brings heatwaves that demand early mornings and constant monitoring. There are always practical realities: broken posts, stubborn weeds, machinery that refuses to cooperate. Anyone thinking about owning a vineyard in Spain should understand this part. Progress in viticulture is measured over seasons, not days. But at harvest, when you taste the fruit and see the vintage take shape, the work and the waiting make sense.

    Winemaker inspecting old bush vines in a Rioja vineyard during winter pruning season, part of the CLOS CIEN vineyard ownership experience in Spain.

    What surprises many new vineyard owners in Rioja is how quickly the land becomes personal. They begin speaking about “their” vines and “their” parcel. They visit in spring to see the first shoots, in summer to walk the rows, in autumn to help harvest the grapes that will become their wine. Vineyard ownership here is not just a financial decision. It is participation in a place, in Rioja’s winemaking tradition, and in a community committed to quality and provenance.

    If you are considering vineyard ownership in Rioja, know this: it is rarely glamorous and never passive. It is muddy boots, cold mornings, and long-term commitment. But it is also real. It is seeing your name on a bottle of Rioja that began as a parcel of vines and became something you can share. For many of our members, owning a vineyard in Spain transforms a dream into something tangible and lasting.
    If you’re seriously considering vineyard ownership in Rioja, and want to understand exactly how it works, from parcel allocation to harvest participation, we’d love to walk you through it. We’ve outlined the full onboarding journey, step by step, on our CLOS CIEN Process page. It’s where the dream becomes a plan, and where many of our members first realized this wasn’t just an idea it was something they could actually do. 

  • My First Month: Winter Foundations at CLOS CIEN

    My First Month: Winter Foundations at CLOS CIEN

    My First Month as a CLOS CIEN Member

    As a new CLOS CIEN member, I – Elena Ruiz -never realized how much happens in the vineyard before a single grape appears. This January, I got to witness the quiet power of winter dormancy, an experience that changed my understanding of wine from the roots up completely. Not to say that I had any experience with taking care of my own vines before, bear with me.  

    What I Learned About Winter Dormancy 

    I always thought winter was downtime for vineyards. But as part of the CLOS CIEN community, I saw how this is when the real groundwork is laid. Every vine is storing energy, prepping for the season ahead. It’s like watching the vineyard take a deep breath before the rush of spring. 

    Pruning:
    The Vineyard’s Most Important Decision 

    This month, I shadowed the team during pruning, the single most important task in the vineyard. I learned that every cut is a decision about quality, not just quantity.  

    • Yield Control: CLOS CIEN’s careful pruning means fewer grapes, but each one is packed with flavour.  
    • Vine Health: Clean cuts keep the vines healthy for decades. Some vines are over 80 years old!  
    • Structure: The team shapes each vine for the best sun and airflow, using traditional bush vine methods. 

    Understanding the Vine:
    What We’re Looking For 

    Before pruning, I learned how the team identifies the perfect wood to keep. The smooth, reddish-brown one-year-old canes are where this year’s grapes will grow. Each little bump on these canes is a “compound bud” nature’s backup plan. The primary bud is Plan A for grapes, but if it’s lost to frost, there’s a secondary and even a tertiary bud (though those produce less fruit). Skilled pruners make precise, angled cuts above the best buds, focusing the vine’s energy into the most promising fruit. Hopefully I can find the courage to cut my own vines someday, for now I am comfortable just watching the pro’s prune. 

    In the Cellar: Caring for Last Year’s Wine 

    While the vineyard rests, the cellar team is hard at work. I discovered the ritual of “topping up” (relleno) oak barrels to replace wine lost to evaporation the “angels’ share.” This keeps the wine fresh and safe from oxidation. I also learned about malolactic fermentation: a natural process that transforms sharp acids into softer, creamier notes, making the wine smoother and more stable for aging. 

    Laguardia a Town Built on Wine 

    This month, I visited Laguardia, a medieval town in Rioja Alavesa where CLOS CIEN’s roots run deep. Beneath its streets lies a network of hand-dug cellars, called calados, carved out over centuries. These underground caves maintain a perfect, electricity-free environment for aging wine at 13–15°C year-round. Standing in those calados, I felt the weight of tradition and realized that every CLOS CIEN bottle is part of a story much bigger than any single vintage. 

    Why This Matters to Me
    (and you, as a member) 

    Being involved in these decisions gave me a new appreciation for what goes into every bottle. As a member, I’m not just buying wine I’m completely part of the process, learning alongside the best experts and sharing in the results. 

    The CLOS CIEN Difference 

    There’s something special about knowing your wine comes from a place where tradition meets innovation. CLOS CIEN’s team respects the land’s legacy, but they’re always looking for ways to make each vintage better. 

    Looking Ahead 

    Winter is about potential. As a CLOS CIEN member, I can’t wait to see how these early decisions pay off and to share that journey with friends and my fellow members. 

    Want to be the first to read my latest Member Series updates?

    Subscribe now and join the CLOS CIEN community on this journey with me. 

  • La Rioja Grape Varieties – Educational Series (7 of 10)

    La Rioja Grape Varieties – Educational Series (7 of 10)

    THE UNEXPECTED – Sparkling Rioja

    A category that surprised everyone

    When you think of Rioja, sparkling wine probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. For over a century, this region built its reputation on aged reds – Tempranillo-based wines that spend years in American oak barrels before release. Around 93% of Rioja’s plantings are red grapes. Sparkling wine? That was Cava’s territory, or Champagne’s domain.

    Then in 2017, the Consejo Regulador made it official. They created a new category called “Espumosos de Calidad de Rioja” – quality sparkling wines from Rioja. Within this designation sits Gran Añada, which requires the wines to age on their lees for at least 36 months. The same requirement as vintage Champagne.

    This wasn’t a complete surprise to everyone. Some Rioja producers had been making sparkling wines for decades, even over a century in a few cases. Parts of Rioja have long been authorized to produce Cava under Spain’s broader sparkling wine denomination. But this was different – these were distinctly Riojan sparklers with their own identity and regulations.

    What makes Rioja sparklers different

    The method is the same as Champagne and Cava – traditional method, or “método tradicional” in Spanish. The second fermentation happens in the bottle, creating those fine, persistent bubbles. The wines must be hand-harvested (for vintage Gran Añada), undergo second fermentation in bottle, and age on their lees for extended periods. Minimum 15 months for the basic category, 24 months for Reserva, and 36 months for Gran Añada.

    But here’s where it gets interesting: the grapes are different. Champagne uses Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Cava traditionally relies on Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel·lo – three white varieties you’ve probably never heard of unless you’re deep into Spanish wine.

    Rioja uses its own varieties. All the authorized red and white grapes from the region are permitted: Viura (the workhorse white), Tempranillo Blanco (that 1988 mutation), Malvasía, Garnacha Blanca, even Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in the mix. For rosé sparklers, at least 25% must be red grapes – Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo, or Maturana Tinta.

    This means sparkling Rioja can taste radically different from Champagne or Cava. Some producers make blanc de blancs styles from pure Viura. Others blend multiple varieties. There are even experimental versions using the nearly-extinct indigenous grapes. The toasty, brioche-like notes from lees aging combine with the fresh fruit character of Rioja’s grapes – citrus, green apple, stone fruit, sometimes hazelnut or dried Mediterranean herbs.

    The alcohol must sit between 11-13%, keeping things refreshing. Sweetness levels follow the same categories as Champagne: Brut Nature (0-3 g/l sugar), Extra Brut (0-6 g/l), and Brut (0-12 g/l). Most producers aim for Brut or Extra Brut – dry, food-friendly styles.

    Why is this surprising?

    Rioja’s entire identity revolves around aging. The region’s classification system – Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva – is based on how long wines spend in oak barrels and bottles before release. Some Gran Reservas aren’t released for a decade after harvest. The famous producers hold massive barrel inventories. It’s a region that celebrates patience and tradition.

    Sparkling wine works differently. It’s about freshness, precision, and immediate appeal. The base wines are kept neutral – low alcohol, high acidity, minimal oak influence. Then comes the magic of bottle fermentation and lees aging. It’s a completely different mindset from making age-worthy reds.

    The surprise is that Rioja, famous for doing one thing extraordinarily well, officially embraced something entirely different. And they didn’t just dabble – they created serious regulations, requiring the same extended aging as vintage Champagne for their top tier.

    It signals something important: Rioja isn’t stuck in amber. The region that defined Spanish wine through tradition is now exploring what else its grapes and terroir can do.

    How does it compare?

    Against Champagne: More affordable (significantly), different fruit profile (Mediterranean versus northern French), often less acidic but with similar complexity from lees aging. Champagne’s cool climate creates wines with razor-sharp acidity and austere fruit. Rioja’s warmer conditions produce riper fruit flavors while still maintaining freshness.

    Against Cava: Similar traditional method production, but completely different grapes and terroir. Cava comes primarily from Catalonia’s Penedès region (though it’s produced in other Spanish regions too). The Mediterranean climate is shared, but the grape varieties give Cava its distinctive profile – often crisper, with green apple and almond notes. Sparkling Rioja shows more diversity because it can use the region’s full palette of varieties.

    The real difference? Sparkling Rioja can use Tempranillo – Spain’s most famous red grape – in the blend for rosé versions. This gives some sparklers a character you won’t find anywhere else. Imagine the structure of Tempranillo translated into bubbles.

    The current reality

    Sparkling Rioja remains tiny – a fraction of the region’s production. Most producers still focus on what made them famous: age-worthy reds. But interest is growing. The first single-vineyard sparkling Viñedo Singular was recently approved, combining two of Rioja’s new classifications in one bottle.

    These aren’t wines trying to be Champagne or compete with Cava on price. They’re distinctly Riojan, carrying the region’s personality – its grapes, its terroir, its commitment to quality – into a completely different format. That’s what makes them worth paying attention to.

  • Fractional Vineyard Ownership Spain | Own La Rioja Vines

    Fractional Vineyard Ownership Spain | Own La Rioja Vines

    Own a Piece of a Spanish Vineyard: Fractional Ownership Made Simple

    From 500m² to 2 hectares in La Rioja. Legal title to your land. Professional winemaking. Premium wine from your vines.

    Schedule a Consultation

    WHAT IS FRACTIONAL VINEYARD OWNERSHIP?

    Fractional vineyard ownership gives you membership rights to a specific plot of premium La Rioja vineyard without the complexity of traditional ownership. You receive vineyard allocation rights, annual wine production from your vines, and complete professional stewardship. This is a genuine vineyard membership with dedicated plot allocation, not a wine club or investment fund.

    Unlike wine investment platforms that offer exposure to wine values through fund shares, CLOS CIEN provides actual vineyard allocation rights in La Rioja, Spain’s premier wine region, located just 1 hour from Bilbao. You have a dedicated plot producing wine exclusively for you each harvest. Learn more about how vineyard stewardship works.

    How It Works:

    • Choose your vineyard size in La Rioja (500m², 2,000m², or 2 hectares)

    • Receive vineyard allocation rights with dedicated plot assignment

    • Professional team manages all La Rioja viticulture and winemaking

    • Receive premium Rioja wine from your vines annually

    Perfect For:

    • Wine enthusiasts seeking authentic La Rioja vineyard experience

    • Families building generational legacy through Spanish wine assets

    • Businesses wanting premium La Rioja wine for client entertainment

    • Investors seeking alternative assets in Spain’s premier wine region

    WHY CHOOSE CLOS CIEN?

    30 Years La Rioja Expertise

    Founder Brian Thompson has spent three decades building relationships across La Rioja’s top estates. His deep regional knowledge of Spanish wine terroir ensures members access premium La Rioja vineyard plots and world-class winemaking resources.

    World’s Best Sommelier Guidance

    Miguel Ángel Millán, crowned World’s Best Sommelier in 2023, guides members through tasting workshops and blending decisions. His expertise helps you create wines reflecting your personal preferences while maintaining La Rioja quality standards.

    Zero Complexity Model

    Traditional vineyard ownership requires €2M+ capital, full-time management, and deep winemaking knowledge. CLOS CIEN eliminates these barriers. Our stewardship model handles all technical aspects while preserving your genuine ownership rights and decision-making power.

    Premium La Rioja Location

    La Rioja produces Spain’s most prestigious wines with 100+ year aging potential. The region, located just 1 hour from Bilbao, offers 18 Michelin stars within 90 minutes, UNESCO World Heritage sites, and direct flights from major European cities. Your vineyard sits in La Rioja, one of the world’s great wine regions producing exceptional tempranillo and Rioja blends.

    100% Visitor Conversion

    Every person who visits the vineyard becomes a member. This perfect conversion rate speaks to the quality of the experience and the authenticity of the ownership model.

    HOW IT WORKS:
    YOUR PATH TO OWNERSHIP

    Step 1: Initial Consultation

    Book a consultation to discuss your goals and preferences. We’ll explain the ownership structure, walk through available plots, and answer your questions about the process.

    Step 2: Vineyard Selection

    Choose from available plots across La Rioja’s premium wine regions. Each vineyard is mapped, soil-tested, and assessed for quality. We provide complete transparency about terroir characteristics and production potential.

    Step 3: Membership Agreement

    Receive vineyard allocation rights with dedicated plot assignment. This is genuine vineyard membership with full allocation rights, not a membership certificate or fund share.

    Step 4: Welcome & Orientation

    Meet the winemaking team, visit your vineyard, and begin your first tasting session with Miguel Ángel Millán. You’ll learn about your vines, the winemaking process, and how to shape your wine’s style.

    Step 5: Annual Wine Production

    Each harvest produces wine exclusively from your vineyard. Bottles are labeled with your plot designation. The wine is yours to drink, gift, age, or sell. You decide.

    MEMBERSHIP TIERS & COMPARISON

    FeatureORIGIN €5,000ESTATE €19,000SINGULAR €170,000
    Vineyard Size500m²2,000m²2 hectares
    Annual Bottles132 bottles528 bottles5,280 bottles
    Ownership Rights✓✓✓
    StewardshipIncludedIncludedIncluded
    Best ForWine enthusiastsFamilies & businessesCommercial investors

    All tiers include professional viticulture and winemaking, tasting workshops with Miguel Ángel Millán, members’ lodge access, harvest participation, and University of La Rioja education programs. Explore each membership in detail: 

    ORIGIN: 500m² vineyard ownership with expert guidance 

    ESTATE: Family and business vineyard investment 

    SINGULAR: Commercial vineyard with 2 hectares 

    INVESTMENT & LIFESTYLE BENEFITS

    Financial Transparency

    Your membership investment covers La Rioja vineyard allocation and lifetime stewardship. There are no ongoing management fees. Premium La Rioja vineyards have appreciated 100%+ since 2014. Your annual wine allocation has retail value ranging from €3,960 to €158,400+ depending on tier.

    How This Differs from Wine Investment Platforms

    Digital platforms like Vinovest and Cult Wine charge 1.9% to 2.75% annually. Over 10 years on a €100,000 investment, you pay €25,000 to €28,000 in fees. CLOS CIEN includes all stewardship in your initial membership with zero ongoing costs. You get actual vineyard allocation rights in La Rioja, not fund shares.

    Wine investment platforms offer financial exposure to wine markets. CLOS CIEN offers genuine Spanish vineyard membership with dedicated plot allocation, hands-on winemaking participation, and La Rioja lifestyle experiences that digital platforms cannot provide. Read our complete analysis: Wine investment platforms vs physical vineyard ownership.

    Lifestyle Value Beyond Returns

    • Visit your La Rioja vineyard anytime (unlimited access to members’ lodge)

    • Participate in harvest and winemaking decisions for your Rioja wine

    • Access 18 Michelin stars within 90 minutes of your vineyard

    • Explore La Rioja wine region, 1 hour from Bilbao

    • Create family legacy through Spanish wine and vineyard assets

    FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

    What exactly do I own?

    You own a Club membership that gives you rights to a dedicated plot of premium La Rioja vineyard and a fixed annual quantity of wine made to your preferences. Unlike traditional vineyard ownership with its legal, tax, and operational complexities, CLOS CIEN offers all the benefits (exclusivity, decision-making power, transferability, and legacy potential) without the burdens. Your vineyard allocation is fully personal, transferable, and inheritable during your membership. No capital calls, no hidden liabilities.

    What are the payment terms?

    One-off initiation fee is due in full within 15 days of signing your membership contract. Annual dues are payable between November 1st and 15th each year. Members may choose a monthly payment plan, subject to a 5% monthly convenience fee.

    What’s included in my membership?

    Your membership includes your personal boutique vineyard in La Rioja for the duration of your membership (including yearly maintenance and replanting when needed), guaranteed annual wine production (132 bottles for ORIGIN, 528 bottles for ESTATE, 5,280 bottles for SINGULAR), access to premium winemaking facilities and social spaces by reservation, and expert guidance throughout your winemaking journey.

    Are there ongoing fees?

    Annual dues cover production costs, facility access, vineyard and winery activities, and two years of aging and storage. The Winter Ball Dinner and Harvest Festival celebrations are included in your annual dues. When your bottles are ready for shipment, you’ll be notified. Should you wish to age them further in the cellars, a nominal storage fee would apply.

    Can I sell my membership?

    Yes. Membership is transferable through CLOS CIEN via resignation of the membership and reissuance, minus a transfer fee of 15% of the current initiation fee. The initiation fee is refundable only through Club-managed membership transfer procedures.

    What if I miss a payment?

    A 5% monthly interest charge applies to late payments. Members have up to 60 days to bring their account current. Non-payment beyond this period may result in membership cancellation.

    Can I pass my membership to my children?

    Yes. Upon the death of a member, the membership can be transferred to his or her spouse or, one time, to an immediate family member, subject to the terms of the Membership Plan.

    NEXT STEPS

    Membership is limited across 100 hectares. Once allocated, these vineyards will not become available again.

    Schedule a Consultation

    TRUST & CREDIBILITY

    ✓ Featured in Celebre Magazine

    ✓ Guided by World’s Best Sommelier 2023 (Miguel Ángel Millán)

    ✓ 30 years La Rioja experience (Founder Brian Thompson)

    ✓ 100% conversion rate for vineyard visitors

    ✓ Vineyard allocation rights in La Rioja

    INTERNAL LINKS & FURTHER RESOURCES

    Related Pages

    • Home Page and More Information

    • ORIGIN Membership

    • ESTATE Membership 

    • SINGULAR Membership 

    • How It Works

    • Wine Investment Guide 

  • La Rioja Grape Varieties – Educational Series (6 of 10)

    La Rioja Grape Varieties – Educational Series (6 of 10)

    THE PINK REVOLUTION – Rosado

    From clarete to modern rosé

    Rioja has a long tradition of making pink wines, though the style has evolved dramatically. The original version was called clarete – a field blend of red and white grapes with one to two days of maceration. These could range from dark pink to pale red depending on the vintage and the percentage of red and white grapes used.

    Under current regulations, rosado wines must contain at least 25% of red grapes (Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo, or Maturana Tinta). They can include white varieties like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Verdejo, but these cannot be the predominant variety in the blend.

    Modern Rioja rosados often use the sangrado (saignée) technique. This “bleeding off” of juice from red wine tanks results in deeper-colored, richer wines with pronounced strawberry and citrus notes.

    There’s a growing movement toward terroir-driven rosados. Producers are increasingly sourcing grapes from specific sites rather than blending from across the region. High-altitude vineyards (500 meters and above) are particularly sought after for rosado production, as the cooler temperatures help retain freshness and acidity.

    Climate change is making these higher-altitude sites more viable. The highest Rioja vineyards reach around 750-800 meters, where cooler conditions create wines with bright acidity and elegant fruit profiles.os

  • La Rioja Grape Varieties – Educational Series (5 of 10)

    La Rioja Grape Varieties – Educational Series (5 of 10)

    THE INNOVATORS – White Varieties

    La Rioja isn’t just about reds

    Viura accounts for around 69% of white grape plantings in Rioja. It’s also called Macabeo in most of Spain and has been the dominant white variety in the region since the 1970s.

    Viura is vigorous and makes versatile, food-friendly wines with subtle citrus and green apple notes and moderate acidity. The vine undergoes bud break later than many varieties, which helps protect it from spring frosts, though it tends to overproduce. Nearly half of Rioja’s Viura vines are more than 40 years old.

    But Rioja has been bringing back native white varieties. Tempranillo Blanco comes from a natural genetic mutation discovered in 1988 in a single cane of a red Tempranillo vine in an old vineyard in Murillo de Río Leza. It now makes up around 12% of white plantings. It has fruity, intense aromas of bananas, citrus fruit and tropical fruit.

    Maturana Blanca is the oldest grape variety to have a written record in Rioja, being mentioned in a text dating to 1622. It accounts for less than 1% of white plantings. Maturana Blanca wines are greenish yellow, with fruity aromas of apples underscored by grassy notes. It’s exclusive to Rioja.

    Modern additions include Verdejo at around 5%, Chardonnay at around 2%, and Sauvignon Blanc at around 3%. These foreign white varieties cannot be the predominant variety in the final composition of the wine.

    White Rioja can be fresh and young or aged in oak for years, developing complexity that rivals great white Burgundy.