Bodegas Exopto (Exopto from the Latin – to desire) was founded in 2003 by Bordeaux expat Tom Puyaubert, who had originally moved to Spain in his capacity as salesman for famous French cooperage (barrel maker) Saury. In fact Tom continues to work selling oak barrels in parallel with his ambitious project of crafting high-end Rioja. His estate comprises 10 hectares that are subdivided into 15 ‘micro parcels’. Depending on the plot, the vines (which are usually ‘en vaso’, or bush-trained) cultivated on the slopes of the Sierra Cantabria at over 500 metres altitude, might be anywhere from 30 to 100 years old.
