The so-called ‘law of the pendulum’ has numerous applications, from politics to human history. Basically it is saying that motion is cyclic and that when something approaches one extreme it will be maintained for a time but the next reaction will be the displacement towards the opposite extreme. It is a concept that is largely applicable to the world of wine. Fashions are cyclical and often follow this pendulum swing pattern as well.
We, the winemakers, have seen how from an almost disdain for traditional and historical winemaking to highly concentrated wines, with a tremendous prominence of aging in new oak. This movement at the beginning of the century caused a huge problem of uniformity and globalization of wines, with the production of products destined to surprise at first sight at tasting but calling into question one of the main principles: wine is a hedonistic beverage and its main function is to accompany meals and a good conversation among friends and family.
From that point on, the pendulum swung back and forth and those wines, called “signature” or “high expression” wines in Spain and which had very little to do with the terroirs, since they could be reproduced practically anywhere in the world with technology and investment in new wood, are now practically history.
At Familia Martínez Bujanda we are proud to say that our pendulum’s swing has been much shorter. Our ‘flagship’ wine, Finca Valpiedra, continues to be labeled as ‘Reserva’, in the original sense of the word ‘reserva’ as the authentic selection of the best grapes from our Rioja estate. Although our wines are fully contemporary, we do not renounce the “classic” origin of the term because we understand that if anything distinguishes Rioja as a wine-growing region from most Spanish regions, it is the ageing capacity of its wines.
At no time have we ever intended to show anything else with our wines other than the originality of the terroirs and landscapes in which we have our own vineyards and we really celebrate this swing of the pendulum towards wines that are more artisanal, fresher, easier to drink and supposedly more linked to the terroir .
Familia Martínez Bujanda’s objective continues to be to serve our consumers and, in this sense, our wines also evolve, they also fluctuate, but they do so in a much shorter period of time and we are convinced that those who choose us value our trajectory and commitment to the terroir.
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