The first vintage from the legend himself!! Juan Carlos Artadi is a well-regarded, high-profile wine producer based in the Rioja Alavesa town of Laguardia although famously having left the local Rioja wine body, it produces wines under the Vino de Mesa title. The wines, all made from Tempranillo are fruit-driven and characterized by smooth tannins, showing an emphasis on individual vineyard sites more than traditional Rioja aging styles. The single vineyard labels include El Carretil, La Poza de Ballesteros, Quintanilla, San Lazaro and Valdeginés, as well as the flagship El Pison. The 2004 vintage of El Pison wine received 100 points from American wine critic Robert Parker. Other notable wines include the Pagos Viejos cuvée, the value-level Viñas de Gain and the entry-level Artadi Joven, produced from carbonically macerated Tempranillo and Viura. Artadi also makes a white Viñas de Gain from 100 percent Viura aged in oak as well as a sparkling Cava, also from local Viura. History, ownership and Rioja withdrawal The producer began life in 1985 as a cooperative of 13 growers with well-situated vineyards around Laguardia. The vineyards and winery were purchased in 1992 by fourth-generation local winegrower Juan Carlos López de Lacalle and in the subsequent decades, the wines garnered much international critical and consumer appeal. In 2016, Lacalle famously withdrew Artadi from the Rioja wine trade body following a progressive move to more subregional designations (even single vineyard mentions) on the winery's labels – a move outlawed by current regional legislation. López de Lacalle also owns the El Sequé estate in Alicante, which makes wine from the Monastrell variety, and Artazu in Navarra, which focuses on the Garnacha grape.