Pago Finca Élez

In 2002 Manuel Manzaneque became the first winery in Spain to achieve the classification Vino de Pago (the highest category under Spanish wine law), a status that grants its own exclusive appellation of origin: D.O. Finca Élez. It is a small winery located in El Bonillo, in the Sierra de Alcaraz (Albacete), at 1,080 m altitude, founded by the actor, director and theatre producer Manuel Manzaneque, a native of La Mancha, who decided to turn his passion for wine into a profession. He made his dream a reality in 1993 after acquiring and renovating Finca Élez, which today houses both winery facilities and vineyards in a ‘château’ style.

In 2020, the Villoldo Ruiz family acquired Pago Finca Élez and its winery. The current owners, Olallo Villoldo and Llanos Ruiz, are agricultural engineers with a passion for the countryside and farming.

The wines of this estate are made exclusively from the 38 hectares of vineyards at Finca Élez, where the behaviour of the vines at high altitude produces a very distinctive style of wine. In this vineyard, tempranillo coexists with other French-origin varieties brought directly from France: cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay cuttings were brought from Bordeaux and Burgundy; syrah from the Rhône… In addition, the proximity of the vineyard to the winery helps keep the grapes in perfect condition. In pursuit of quality, the winery maintains limited production (140,000 bottles) of wines intended to reflect the character of this unique terroir.

Miguel Ángel Benito is the current winemaker, working alongside consultants Javier García Alonso and Carlos Sánchez.