Bodegas Gran Feudo SL

The story

The Stone Quarry in Cintruénigo

When Claudio Chivite chose his site in Cintruénigo in 1872, the land he was buying was not a vineyard. It was a quarry. Local stone had been cut there for years, and the ground still carried the name: La Cascajera, from cascajo, the rubble and loose stone left behind by quarrying. Chivite levelled it, built his winery on top of it, and kept the name. The building operated through the following century and a half under the same family, updated with each generation's cellar technology but never torn down or relocated. When Perelada completed the acquisition in October 2017, 145 years after that first stone was laid on quarry ground, La Cascajera was still the address on the label, and Gran Feudo bottles were leaving it for more than 60 countries.

From the atlas

Bodegas Gran Feudo SL

At A Glance

Producer: Bodegas Gran Feudo SL Country: Spain Region: Navarra (D.O. Navarra) Village/Base: Cintruénigo Grapes: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Moscatel de grano menudo Founded: 1872 Ownership: Perelada Group (from October 2017; Julián Chivite remains President)

The Producer

In 1872, Claudio Chivite built a winery on the site of a stone quarry in Cintruénigo, in southern Navarra. The building took its name from the quarry: La Cascajera. That same building still stands and still operates today, more than 150 years later, producing the bottles sold under the Gran Feudo label.

Gran Feudo is a volume commercial label in the truest sense: clear bottles, clear pricing, distribution to more than 60 countries. But the foundation is real: warm clay soils in Cintruénigo and Corella, vines averaging 30 years old, and a winery that has been continuously updated with modern cellar equipment while keeping the original stone building intact. In October 2017, the Catalan wine group Perelada acquired the Chivite operations. Julián Chivite stayed on as President. The combined group's turnover exceeded 60 million euros, with a presence in nearly 100 markets. The name did not change, the building did not change, and the label kept shipping.

Place

Cintruénigo sits in the southern reach of D.O. Navarra, a large appellation that stretches from the Pyrenean foothills in the north down to the warmer, flatter country near the Ebro River in the south. This southern pocket runs hotter and drier than the rest of the region, and the clay soils hold warmth well. The warmth pushes ripeness in Tempranillo and Garnacha, producing fruit that is ripe and rounded rather than austere. On the label, D.O. Navarra permits a wide range of grape varieties: both indigenous Spanish grapes such as Tempranillo and Garnacha, and international varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay. That flexibility shows in the Gran Feudo range, which runs from a Tempranillo-led red Reserva to a 100% Chardonnay white.

Soil And Site

Vineyard parcels in Cintruénigo and Corella sit on warm clay soils. Clay retains moisture through dry summers and holds heat through the growing season, which pushes grape sugars higher and softens natural acidity. The vines average 30 years old: established enough to produce concentrated fruit without extracting at maximum intensity. The result in the glass is ripe, generous fruit weight rather than the mineral austerity of younger or cooler-site vineyards.

Story

Claudio Chivite founded the winery in 1872 and the Chivite family kept it for well over a century. The name Gran Feudo, meaning great estate or great fief, was the label name that carried this heritage into export markets. Over the following decades the family steadily modernised the cellar while the original La Cascajera building remained the operational core.

By the time Perelada moved to acquire the Chivite wineries in October 2017, Gran Feudo had become a recognised label name in more than 60 countries. Perelada, based at Empordà in Catalonia, absorbed the operations into a group that would exceed 60 million euros in turnover and reach nearly 100 markets worldwide. The terms of the deal kept Julián Chivite in place as President, a decision that preserved the visible connection between the Chivite name and the wines carrying that name. The bottles continued as before.

Vineyards And Cellar

All vineyard work runs from Cintruénigo and Corella, with warm clay parcels and mature vines supplying both the red and white ranges. Thirty-year-old vines produce moderate yields with naturally concentrated fruit, which means the cellar does not need to work hard to find flavour. The winery has been continuously updated over time: modern temperature-controlled fermentation vessels allow the cellar team to manage the warm southern Navarra climate and preserve fresh aromatics in both the reds and the whites. The Reserva designation under D.O. Navarra rules requires a minimum ageing period, which shapes the texture and integration of the red range.

Wines

Gran Feudo produces red and white wines from the same clay-soil parcels in southern Navarra.

The Gran Feudo Reserva is the anchor red. It carries the Reserva classification, which under D.O. Navarra rules requires a defined minimum ageing period split between oak and bottle. The grape base is Tempranillo-led, drawn from those 30-year-old clay-soil vines. The nose is generous and immediately readable: black plum preserve, blackberry, ginger, and blood orange. The palate is medium-bodied with moderate tannins and moderate acidity. The fruit is ripe and rounded, the tannins soft enough not to obstruct, and the overall register is accessible rather than demanding.

The Gran Feudo Blanco is 100% Chardonnay. Golden-yellow in the glass, with tropical fruit aromas: pineapple and citrus come forward on the nose. On the palate the entry is fresh, the acidity is balanced, and the finish carries a persistent savoury note that keeps the wine from reading purely as a fruit-forward commercial white.

A broader range exists beyond these two confirmed bottles, but these are the wines with direct sensory documentation.

In The Glass

The Reserva opens with ripe, dark-fruited aromatics: black plum preserve and blackberry carry the nose, with a lift of ginger and blood orange that keeps it from being flat. In the mouth the wine is medium-weight, with tannins that sit at moderate grip and acidity that does not cut. The fruit stays consistent from entry to finish: plum and blackberry without the tart edge that comes from cooler soils. This is warm-climate Tempranillo, shaped by clay and sun, and it reads as food-friendly and uncomplicated. It is not a wine that demands attention; it rewards the glass you pour without thinking about it.

The Chardonnay Blanco behaves differently. The nose is aromatic and tropical, pineapple prominent. The palate entry is fresh rather than broad, the balanced acidity keeping the tropical fruit from becoming heavy. The savoury finish is the distinguishing note: it grounds the wine and gives it more length than the aromatic profile suggests. Together the two wines show the range of the southern Navarra clay: concentrated and ripe in the red, more fragrant and lively in the white.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with the Gran Feudo Blanco. The 100% Chardonnay white is the easier read: no oak dominating the fruit, and a sensory sequence that is linear and clear. Pineapple and citrus on the nose, a fresh entry, balanced acidity, and a savoury finish that holds on. It shows what the winery does when the cellar is modern and the brief is clean: Chardonnay that tastes like itself, from warm clay-soil parcels, bottled without complication. The Blanco also costs less than the Reserva in most markets, which makes it the lower-risk opening move.

Anecdote

When Claudio Chivite broke ground in Cintruénigo in 1872, the land he chose was not a vineyard. It was a quarry. The local stone had been cut there for years and the ground still carried the name: La Cascajera, from cascajo, the rubble and loose stone left behind by quarrying. Chivite levelled it, built his winery on top of it, and kept the name. The building operated through the following decades under the same family, updated with each generation's cellar technology but never torn down or relocated. When Perelada completed the acquisition in October 2017, 145 years after that first stone was laid on quarry ground, La Cascajera was still the address, and Gran Feudo bottles were leaving it for 60 countries.

Final Word

Gran Feudo is southern Navarra at commercial volume: clay-soil Tempranillo and Chardonnay from a winery that has operated from the same building since 1872. The Chivite name outlasted a change of ownership. The wines are approachable, consistent, and widely available. The Blanco opens the range cleanly; the Reserva fills the weeknight red slot without fuss. For a buyer new to Navarra, this is a reliable first address.

Sources

• https://granfeudo.com/en/about-us/
• https://www.vinissimus.co.uk/en/winery/bodegas-gran-feudo/
• https://turismoriberanavarra.com/en/cintruenigo/local-businesses/gran-feudo-wineries/
• https://perelada.com/en/blog/perelada-acquires-chivite-wineries
• https://www.lcbo.com/en/gran-feudo-reserva-479014
• https://encopa.es/vino-blanco/12813-gran-feudo-chardonnay-2023-.html