Spain · La Mancha

Finca Elez

A high-altitude Vino de Pago estate in El Bonillo, Finca Élez makes estate-grown wines from Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Syrah.

The producer

Founded by actor, director and theatrical producer Manuel Manzaneque in 1992, Finca Élez became one of Spain's first two recognized Vinos de Pago in 2002. Its vineyards sit at 1,080 metres in El Bonillo, Albacete, where freezing winters, hot summers, scarce rainfall and large day-to-night temperature changes shape the growing season. The Villoldo Ruiz family acquired the estate in early 2020, with agricultural engineers Olallo Villoldo and Llanos Ruiz as its named owners.

The wines come exclusively from the estate's own vineyards. Limited yields, small-batch harvesting and an on-site winery protect the fruit from vineyard to cellar. Finca Élez Chardonnay Fermentado en Barrica 2022 is a varietal Chardonnay fermented and aged in French oak, with yellow apple, pineapple, grilled lemon, vanilla, creamy texture, vibrant acidity and a soft finish.

Known for

High-altitude, estate-grown wines from El Bonillo, led by barrel-fermented Chardonnay and supported by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Syrah.

Notable facts

The story

The actor who started a winery

In 1992, Manuel Manzaneque, known as an actor, director and theatrical producer, began operating Finca Élez in the municipality of El Bonillo, Albacete. The first wines came from that same 1992 vintage. One year later, in 1993, the winery presented those wines to the market. The sequence gives the estate an unusually clear beginning: a theatre and film figure founded a winery, the first harvest became the first vintage, and the first bottles followed almost immediately. Finca Élez later entered Spain's Vino de Pago system in 2002, becoming one of the first two estates recognized in that category.

The actor who started a winery

In 1992, Manuel Manzaneque, known as an actor, director and theatrical producer, began operating Finca Élez in the municipality of El Bonillo, Albacete. The first wines came from that same 1992 vintage. One year later, in 1993, the winery presented those wines to the market. The sequence gives the estate an unusually clear beginning: a theatre and film figure founded a winery, the first harvest became the first vintage, and the first bottles followed almost immediately. Finca Élez later entered Spain's Vino de Pago system in 2002, becoming one of the first two estates recognized in that category.

From the atlas

Finca Elez

At A Glance

Finca Élez is a single-estate Vino de Pago producer in El Bonillo, Albacete, with vineyards at 1,080 metres. The estate makes wines only from its own grapes, led by Chardonnay in white and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Syrah among the reds. Finca Élez Chardonnay Fermentado en Barrica 2022 is the first bottle to seek, a varietal white shaped by barrel fermentation and lees ageing.

The Producer

Finca Élez began when Manuel Manzaneque, an actor, director and theatrical producer, founded the winery in 1992 in El Bonillo. Its first wines were presented in 1993. The estate became a Vino de Pago in 2002, a Spanish category for a named single estate, and remains an estate-grown operation instead of a label assembled from purchased grapes.

In early 2020, the Villoldo Ruiz family acquired Pago Finca Élez and its winery. Olallo Villoldo and Llanos Ruiz are the named owners, and both trained as agricultural engineers. Their background fits a property where the crucial choices begin in the vineyard: the crop is limited, harvest is handled in small batches, and the cellar sits among the vines. Those decisions keep the estate's grape source and cellar work in the same frame.

Place

El Bonillo lies in Albacete province in the dry interior of Spain. Finca Élez's vines sit at 1,080 metres, where winters can freeze, summers are very hot, rainfall is scarce and droughts can last for long periods. During ripening, the difference between day and night can exceed 20°C. This shift between daytime heat and nighttime coolness lets grapes ripen with freshness still present, making harvest timing closely tied to grape condition.

Vino de Pago appears on the label because the category recognizes an individual estate, not a broad regional blend. Here that label language matches the physical setup: the grapes come from the estate's own 38.9 hectares and travel to the winery in the middle of the vineyards.

Soil And Site

For the named 2022 Chardonnay, the vineyard source is La Vieja in El Bonillo. The soil is sandy over limestone, loose material above a calcareous base. That detail places the bottle more precisely than Albacete alone and connects it to a named vineyard within the Pago. Chardonnay is then fermented in French oak after gentle pressing, so the label carries both a defined origin and a clear cellar choice.

Story

Manzaneque's 1992 start gave Finca Élez a working winery. In 2002, the estate entered the Vino de Pago category, one of Spain's first two recognized estates to do so. Early 2020 brought another change when the Villoldo Ruiz family acquired the property and winery. Olallo Villoldo and Llanos Ruiz took over as named owners, bringing agricultural engineering training to a site whose wines depend on crop decisions made before the grapes reach the cellar. The historical line runs from theatre and film, through an early estate designation, to a new agricultural ownership team.

Vineyards And Cellar

Finca Élez states that its wines come exclusively from grapes grown in its own 38.9 hectares. Yield per hectare is limited, so the vineyard sends a smaller crop to the winery. Harvest arrives in small batches to reduce the risk of unwanted fermentation, and picking stops when grapes cannot reach the cellar in suitable condition. The winery sits surrounded by the vineyards, shortening the distance between picking and processing and protecting the fruit before fermentation.

The cellar uses French oak from Allier, Nevers and Tronçais. For the 2022 Chardonnay, gentle pressing is followed by fermentation in French foudres and barrels, then eight to ten months on lees with bâtonnage. The wood and lees work add a rounder mouthfeel to a wine whose acidity remains part of its tasting profile.

Wines

The range begins with Chardonnay as the principal white grape. The red side is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Syrah, but the retained material does not establish exact blend recipes or a full current list of labels. The useful distinction is between a named white varietal and a red planting whose individual bottle profiles require more information.

Finca Élez Chardonnay Fermentado en Barrica 2022 is 100% Chardonnay from the estate, a white wine fermented and aged in French oak. Its direct wine cues include yellow apple, pineapple, browned butter, cardamom, vanilla and grilled lemon. The palate has creamy texture, vibrant acidity and a soft finish. It is the range's oak-shaped Chardonnay, with fruit and spice carried alongside freshness.

In The Glass

Begin with the aroma: ripe tropical and stone fruit rise first, followed by citrus and a light note of vanilla oak. On the palate, the Chardonnay becomes rounded and smooth, with buttered-toast flavour and a creamy feel from barrel fermentation and lees contact. Vibrant acidity keeps the middle of the wine lively instead of heavy. The finish softens into balanced oak spice and lift, leaving a clean trace of fruit and wood.

A Bottle To Understand It

Finca Élez Chardonnay Fermentado en Barrica 2022 is the bottle to open first. It is a varietal Chardonnay from La Vieja, a named estate vineyard in El Bonillo, grown at 1,080 metres and fermented in French oak. Eight to ten months on lees with bâtonnage give the wine its creamy, rounded feel, while the site's day-to-night swing and vibrant acidity keep the glass fresh. Choose it when you want the estate's geography, grape and cellar method in one bottle: the name tells you the grape and oak, the vineyard source anchors the place, and the finish links ripe fruit with fresh acidity.

Anecdote

In 1992, Manuel Manzaneque, an actor, director and theatrical producer, founded Finca Élez in the municipality of El Bonillo, Albacete. The first wines came from that same 1992 vintage. In 1993, the winery presented them to the market. The sequence is unusually neat: a man known for theatre and film started a winery, the first harvest became the first vintage, and the first bottles followed one year later. Finca Élez then moved into Spain's Vino de Pago system in 2002, becoming one of the first two estates recognized in that category.

Final Word

Finca Élez is a high-altitude estate with concrete coordinates: El Bonillo, 1,080 metres, estate-grown grapes, a Vino de Pago designation, and a winery surrounded by its own vines. The 2022 Chardonnay is the most direct starting point, pairing tropical and stone fruit with French oak, lees texture and lively acidity. It offers a bottle with a clear address and a clear method.

Sources

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