Winemaker
Juan Bautista Sáenz
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Haro, Spain
i. Biography
Juan Bautista Sáenz came to wine by way of Chemistry and an early course in Oenology, where science became cellar practice. That pairing set the terms of the work: close observation, precision, and patience in the vineyard and the winery. His first vintage at Dinastía Vivanco in 1999 marked the start of a career built through hands-on production and repeated time in front of fruit, ferment, and place.
The Climb
Training at University of La Rioja gave Juan Bautista Sáenz the academic base before he entered the cellar with his first vintage at Dinastía Vivanco (1999). From there, the work moved through small wine projects with Pablo Eguzkiza and Telmo Rodríguez, across Málaga, Alicante, Cebreros, Toro, Rueda, Ribera del Duero, Rioja, and Galicia between 2000 and 2022. The range of those regions points to a career spent handling different vineyard conditions and cellar demands, learning how each place asks for its own approach. Since 2022, he has been in field management and production at Bodegas y Viñedos Gómez Cruzado, bringing vineyard work and winery execution into the same brief.
Today
Since 2023, Juan Bautista Sáenz has served as Technical Director and winemaker at Bodegas y Viñedos Gómez Cruzado in Haro. The role brings together two parts of the trade that have run through his work from the start: reading fruit and site in the field, then carrying that material through to finished wine. Haro places that practice inside one of Rioja’s central wine towns, where long experience in the region still matters.
Career - Field management and production — Bodegas y Viñedos Gómez Cruzado (2022–present) - Crafted first vintage — Dinastía Vivanco (1999) - Worked on small wine projects in historic and forgotten regions; vineyard and wine production — Projects with Pablo Eguzkiza and Telmo Rodríguez, Málaga, Alicante, Cebreros, Toro, Rueda, Ribera del Duero, Rioja, and Galicia (2000–2022) Education: University of La Rioja
Signature
Viña Motulleri is among Juan Bautista Sáenz’s signature wines. It sits in line with a working style defined by detail, by attention to what each project requires, and by the discipline needed to keep structure clear without overworking the material.
Recognition
The clearest public marker in his record is the 2023 appointment as Technical Director and winemaker at Bodegas y Viñedos Gómez Cruzado. It follows a straight sequence: Chemistry and Oenology studies, a first vintage at Dinastía Vivanco in 1999, two decades of work across Spanish wine regions, and then a leadership post in Haro that reflects the accumulation of that experience.
FAQ What is Juan Bautista Sáenz's current role? As of 2026, Juan Bautista Sáenz is Technical Director and Winemaker. Where did Juan Bautista Sáenz train or study? Juan Bautista Sáenz trained at University of La Rioja.
