Bodegas Ilurce is owned and operated by the fourth generation of the Escudero family in Alfaro, Rioja Baja. It has been growing grapes in Rioja Baja since 1940, and the current generation takes advantage of 60 hectares of land. On the slopes of Monte Yerga, vineyards are planted in alluvial soils. In alluvial, limestone heavy soils with a high density of stones, vines range from century-old head trained Garnacha to high density plantings of Graciano and Tempranillo. At a height of 2000 feet (600 meters), the vineyards benefit from very cold winters and nights, and warm summers – perfect conditions for the maturation of Graciano, perhaps the estate’s most significant asset.

After setting a goal to produce and import a 100% Graciano wine, Jorge Ordóez partnered with Bodegas Ilurce. Rioja Baja is heavily planted with Graciano grapes since it is very difficult to ripen this grape in cooler Rioja Alta, where it is commonly used for blending with Tempranillo. As with Garnacha, Graciano requires a warmer climate to ripen because of its long vegetative cycle and slow maturation. This is why Ordóez and his team travelled to Rioja Baja to find a producer to partner with. Since there were very few monovarietal Graciano wines at the time, Jorge set out to produce a high quality, affordable Graciano. Jorge achieved this with Rio Madre Graciano, a wine that has been a blockbuster success in the United States, as it represents incredible quality for an entry level Rioja.