Founded by Jaime Rodriguez Salis in 1968, in what were the ruins of a farm that belonged to a monastery from the 14th-century, the winery was a pioneer of the estate-bottled Rioja wines and the concept of "terroir".
It is the first winery in Rioja in modern history to bottle wine only from its own vineyards. The vineyards are located in the town of Labastida in Rioja Alavesa, in a natural amphitheater between the mountains of Toloño and San Cristobal, in the foothills of the Sierra Cantabria, 700 m above sea level. This is the highest elevation vineyard in Rioja. The vineyards are planted on 70 ha of well-drained slopes with excellent exposure to the sun. They are protected from west winds but open to some north winds, which help lower the risk of pests that result from humidity. The yield is approximately 4,500-5,000 kg/ha, where in Rioja the average is 6,500 kg/ha. When harvesting, the fruit from vines younger than 7 years is not allowed to be part of the final blend.
No chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides are used. Low yields and a high rate of selection at harvest are goals of this property. The soil is chalk-clay in different proportions. These vineyards are a result of the decomposition of the mountain. The climate is typical of mild summers, cold winters; big temperature changes between day and night, with snow common in winter
