Julio Sáenz

The Climb

In Rioja, cellar discipline starts early, and Julio Sáenz began there in 1996 as head of Quality Control at La Rioja Alta, S.A. That role put him on the production side of the house’s standards from the outset, where consistency, fault control, and close attention to detail are part of the work rather than the language around it. He then moved through oenologist posts at Torre de Oña and Áster, building a technical base across different houses before returning to the central responsibilities that define a senior winemaker’s remit.

Today

The working line that runs through Julio Sáenz’s winemaking is restraint. In Haro, that shows up in a stated preference for techniques that reduce the use of chemical compounds, framed by his own words: "We maintain a philosophy of utmost respect for the environment, applying techniques that help us reduce the use of chemical compounds." It is a practical brief, not a slogan, and it matches a technical style built on measured decisions rather than force. Asked to name a red wine he admires, he points first to the 2010 vintage of Gran Reserva 890 from his own house, then to a mature bottle of Penfolds Grange, which suggests a palate that values both internal reference points and broader comparison.

Signature

The wines associated with Julio Sáenz point to continuity inside one house rather than a scattered portfolio. Gran Reserva 890, Gran Reserva 904, Viña Ardanza, Viña Arana, and 2010 Gran Reserva 890 are the names attached to his signature, and they place him squarely within the style and reference set of La Rioja Alta, S.A. The repeated mention of 2010 Gran Reserva 890 matters here because it is the bottle he cites himself; the others frame the broader range in which his work is recognized.

In Their Words “If I can’t choose the 2010 vintage of our Gran Reserva 890, then for a red wine, it would be a nicely mature bottle of Penfolds Grange.” “We maintain a philosophy of utmost respect for the environment, applying techniques that help us reduce the use of chemical compounds.”

Recognition

Julio Sáenz has received La Semana Vitivinícola — Best Winemaker (2022). The 2022 awards for Best Winemaker and Best Wine place Julio Sáenz’s work in public view in a year of recognition for both the maker and the wines associated with him. Taken together, they mark external acknowledgment of a technical profile already defined by long service, house continuity, and a stated preference for precision over display.