Sierra Cantabria: The Eguren Family Bodega in the Sonsierra

Eguren family winegrowing goes back to 1870, when Amancio Eguren began a tradition devoted to vine growing and the production of the family's own wines. In 1957 Guillermo Eguren established Bodegas Sierra Cantabria, the family bodega in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, and began acquiring vineyard parcels. Sierra Cantabria marks the beginning of the family's journey as winemakers. Today the group, Viñedos y Bodegas Sierra Cantabria, is a collection of six individual projects across Rioja, Toro and Castilla; its wineries include Sierra Cantabria, Viñedos Sierra Cantabria, Viñedos de Páganos, Señorío de San Vicente and Teso La Monja.

• 1870: Amancio Eguren begins the family tradition of vine growing and making its own wines
• 1957: Guillermo Eguren establishes Bodegas Sierra Cantabria in San Vicente de la Sonsierra
• 1991: Señorío de San Vicente, a single-vineyard wine
• 1996: Viñedos Sierra Cantabria, a project built around selected parcels
• 1998: Viñedos de Páganos, an underground winery in Laguardia; 2007: Teso La Monja in Toro

Marcos Eguren is the winemaker (enólogo). Marcos and Miguel Eguren created the new Viñedos Sierra Cantabria facilities in 2023. In 2018 the two brothers ran the company together.

• Marcos Eguren: winemaker (enólogo)
• Miguel Eguren: ran the company with his brother Marcos (2018)

Sierra Cantabria's vineyards lie primarily in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Labastida and Laguardia, within the Sonsierra. San Vicente de la Sonsierra is a Rioja Alta municipality; Labastida and Laguardia are in Rioja Alavesa. The vineyards face south and south-west on clay-limestone soils, rounded pebbles and fractured bedrock, planted to Tempranillo, Garnacha, Viura and Tempranillo Peludo, some more than seventy years old. The Viñedos Sierra Cantabria winery, built above historic underground limestone cellars in the San Pedro area, is surrounded by the 16-hectare San Pelayo-Las Canteras estate; San Pelayo was planted in 1960 on limestone bedrock. The Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva, Amancio and Reserva Única all come from the family's own vineyards.

• Finca El Bosque (1973): 1.482 hectares in San Vicente de la Sonsierra
• La Veguilla: the family vineyard in San Vicente de la Sonsierra that gives Amancio
• El Vardallo (also known as Las Sepulturas): 1.18 hectares in San Vicente de la Sonsierra; red varieties 65% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 2.5% Graciano, 1% Petit Bouschet and 1.1% others; white varieties 4.4% Calagraño, 3.2% Turruntés and 2.8% Viura
• Los Terreros and Jararte: 4 hectares in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, the source of Colección Privada
• San Pelayo: planted 1960, north-facing, the source of CVC Primera Edición

The Sierra Cantabria range comprises Murmurón, Gran Reserva, Reserva, XF, Garnacha, Crianza, Blanco and Rosado. The Viñedos Sierra Cantabria range, where every wine comes from a single vineyard, comprises Cuvée, CVC Primera Edición, CVC Segunda Edición, CVC 88, CVC 150, Mágico, Amancio, Finca El Bosque, Colección Privada, Organza and Reserva Única. The Crianza 2022 is 100% Tempranillo from the family's vineyards in San Vicente de la Sonsierra and Labastida, aged 14 months in French and American oak. The Reserva 2018 is 100% Tempranillo aged 18 months in 225-litre barrels, half French and half American oak, 20% new, and bottled unfiltered. The Gran Reserva 2017 is 98% Tempranillo and 2% Graciano from vines over 30 years old, aged 26 months in American oak and then 15 months in cement tank. Amancio, made only in exceptional vintages, is 100% Tempranillo from La Veguilla; the 2022 was fermented in 500-litre French oak barrels and French oak vats and is planned for 24 months in new French oak. Finca El Bosque 2023 is 100% Tempranillo fermented in a French oak vat and aged an estimated 16 months in new French oak. Mágico 2022 was destemmed by hand, berry by berry, with the field blend fermented in two wooden vats and the Garnacha in a separate one. Colección Privada 2023 is 100% Tempranillo, half destemmed and half whole bunches, aged 16 months in new 225-litre barrels, half French and half American oak. Reserva Única 2022 is 97% Tempranillo and 3% Graciano from vines over 30 years old, aged 24 months in 60% French and 40% American oak, 15% new.

• CVC Primera Edición: an assemblage of the 2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages from the San Pelayo vineyard
• XF: a blend of Garnacha and Tempranillo from vineyards across the Sonsierra
• Organza: the white of Viñedos Sierra Cantabria, a blend of traditional varieties with extended ageing on the lees
• Reserva Única: from the family's historic vineyards in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, some planted as early as 1927
• Wine Spectator rated Finca El Bosque 2015 at 95 points in its October 15, 2018 issue

Of Viñedos Sierra Cantabria, the producer says: "Rather than imposing a house style, the winery exists in service of the vineyard." Marcos Eguren characterises the Crianza 2022 as "El clasicismo frutal del Tempranillo de la Sonsierra", the fruity classicism of Sonsierra Tempranillo: fruity and aromatic, elegant and fresh, with sweet, velvety tannin. His notes give the Reserva 2018 red fruit with present but ripe tannins and good acidity and structure, and Finca El Bosque 2023 ripe fruit, balsamic notes, structure and complexity. The producer calls Reserva Única "poised, silky and persistent" and Colección Privada "the perfect union of tradition and modernity". Wine Spectator, in 2018, called Finca El Bosque 2015 "powerful yet graceful, with an alluring balance of savory and fruity character" and named the Eguren brothers as leaders in a movement toward more powerful reds.

Marcos Eguren sums up the approach: "Respectful, organic and biodynamic: a return to the viticulture practised by our great-grandfather." The lunar cycle sets the timing of each vineyard task, and the family uses its own compost. Viticulture is integrated, with minimal intervention, no herbicides or systemic products, and organic fertilisation; fermentation uses native yeast selected from the family's own vineyards.

• Vineyard work timed by the lunar cycle
• Own compost; no herbicides or systemic products
• Native yeast selected from the family's own vineyards

Recent milestones include the El Puntido restaurant in 2021, twenty years after the first vintage of El Puntido; a new Viñedos Sierra Cantabria winery in 2023 at the family's original winery in San Vicente; a dedicated malolactic fermentation cellar at Viñedos Sierra Cantabria in 2024; and an expansion of the Señorío de San Vicente winery in 2026. Visits are arranged individually, with the group preparing a tailored proposal on request.

• 2021: El Puntido restaurant
• 2023: new Viñedos Sierra Cantabria winery
• 2024: malolactic fermentation cellar at Viñedos Sierra Cantabria
• 2026: Señorío de San Vicente winery expansion

Primary sources (producer's own site, sierracantabria.com, including its technical sheets): https://sierracantabria.com/en/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/history/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/philosophy/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/sierra-cantabria/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/vinedos-sierra-cantabria/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wines/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/experiences/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/sierra-cantabria/murmuron/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/sierra-cantabria/gran-reserva/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/sierra-cantabria/reserva/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/sierra-cantabria/xf/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/sierra-cantabria/garnacha/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/sierra-cantabria/crianza/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/sierra-cantabria/blanco/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/sierra-cantabria/rosado/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/vinedos-sierra-cantabria/cuvee/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/vinedos-sierra-cantabria/cvc-primera-edicion/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/vinedos-sierra-cantabria/magico/, https://sierracantabria.com/bodegas/vinedos-sierra-cantabria/amancio/, https://sierracantabria.com/bodegas/vinedos-sierra-cantabria/finca-el-bosque/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/vinedos-sierra-cantabria/coleccion-privada/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/vinedos-sierra-cantabria/organza/, https://sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/vinedos-sierra-cantabria/reserva-unica/, https://sierracantabria.com/ficha-tecnica/amancio-2022-es.pdf, https://sierracantabria.com/ficha-tecnica/finca-el-bosque-2023-es.pdf, https://sierracantabria.com/ficha-tecnica/magico-2022-es.pdf, https://sierracantabria.com/ficha-tecnica/coleccion-privada-2023-es.pdf, https://sierracantabria.com/ficha-tecnica/reserva-unica-2022-es.pdf, https://sierracantabria.com/ficha-tecnica/sierra-cantabria-crianza-2022-es.pdf, https://sierracantabria.com/ficha-tecnica/sierra-cantabria-reserva-2028-es.pdf, https://sierracantabria.com/ficha-tecnica/sierra-cantabria-gran-reserva-2017-es.pdf. Secondary sources: https://riojawine.com/en-gb/visita-rioja/municipios/san-vicente-de-la-sonsierra/, https://top100.winespectator.com/2018/article/extreme-virtues/, https://riojawine.com/en-gb/production-areas/rioja-alavesa/. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-12