Marques de Grinon wines are sourced from the prized Dominio de Valdepusa vineyard in Castilla-La Mancha. Valdepusa stands apart from the rest of the region, as its 1068-foot elevation is one of the highest in Spain, and its top layer of soil is similar to Burgundy?s - it is almost pure limestone. Dominio de Valdepusa has been in the noble family of Carlos Falco Fernandez de Cordova, the Marquis of Grinon, since 1292. Referred to as the father of Spanish wine, Falco pioneered the modernization of vine growing and winemaking in Spain. Falco graduated from the University of California Davis with a degree in viticulture and oenology in 1964. He returned home and began making wine, all the while pushing the boundaries of winemaking as set by Francoist Spain. In 1974, he introduced the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grape varieties as well as drip irrigation and night harvesting. His experimentation with international varieties and modern technologies made him the internationally renowned expert on Spanish wine. In 1999 he published the 18-volume Entender de Vino, the quintessential guide to Spanish winemaking, now in its 13th edition. He also founded the esteemed Grandes Pagos de Espana association, with members including 27 of the most prestigious estates in Spain. The group?s mission is to defend and propagate the culture of pago wine, meaning wine produced in a specific terroir that reflects the distinct personality of the soil and climate. In 2003, Dominio de Valdepusa became the first estate to receive DO de Pago, the highest level in the Spanish classification system. This level was introduced that same year and designates single estates of exceptional quality that exhibit the special characteristics of a pago. A pago is a landmass with indigenous vegetation that differentiates itself from the surrounding environment by soil type or microclimate. The site must have historically produced wines of exceptional quality and the single vineyard name must have been in use for at least five years. The vineyard site must be smaller than the communal or municipal boundary where it is located and there must be a quality-control system in place that complies at minimum with the regulations for a DOCa.
