Description
Bodegas Exopto is all about pushing the boundaries of Rioja, and El Espinal is a perfect example. Sourced from a tiny 0.3-hectare vineyard at 650 metres altitude in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, this wine is made entirely from Maturana Tinta - a rare, almost-forgotten variety that’s slowly making a comeback.
Frenchman Tom Puyaubert, who founded Exopto in 2003, works with grower Miguel Ángel Mato to farm these old bush vines using traditional methods, including cultivation by mule. In the winery, the fruit undergoes vinification intégrale - fermented in 600L French oak barrels that are gently rolled rather than plunged or pumped over, creating a wine of fine texture and elegance rather than overt extraction. After fermentation, it spends 15 months aging in those same barrels before bottling.
The result is something truly unique for Rioja - bright, lifted, and structured, with a balance of Atlantic freshness and Mediterranean depth. A rare and fascinating expression of the region’s high-altitude terroir.
96 points
"Visit the vineyard, and you can see why El Espinal is so special, combining both Atlantic and Mediterranean influences. This is one of Rioja's best Maturana Tintas, with aromas of graphite, earth, and rocket, fleshy tannins, plum and black cherry fruit, a balsamic twist, and an energetic, acid-driven finish. A remarkable expression of a great terroir."
- Tim Atkin (Rioja Report 2024)
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Shipping
Delivery is free on orders of $150 or more!
For orders under this amount, delivery is calculated at checkout based on your postcode. You can order in any quantity or combination of wines you like. Straight dozens are not required.
We will dispatch your order the same or next business day.
Estimated delivery transit time varies depending on your location. Please review this page for specific estimates.
Sydney (Our Vans): If no one is home and there are no special delivery instructions our driver will try to call for instructions. If the driver believes there is a safe space to leave your wine they will do so if not, they will return the item to us and hold your order until further instruction from you.
Melbourne (Anonymous Wine Freight): If no one is home and there are no special delivery instructions, the courier will try to call for instructions. If the driver believes there is a safe space to leave your wine they will do so. if not, they will return the item to their dispatch centre and hold until further instruction from you.
Australia Post: Australia Post will leave the parcel if they have been given authority to leave and it is deemed safe to do so. To give your Authority to Leave, please enter this in the 'SPECIAL REQUEST' box at checkout.
Ordering
We want Different Drop customers to always be getting the best price. If you see a lower price elsewhere, just get in touch and we will sort it out for you. We handle all our price-matching on a case by case basis.
Some things to keep in mind:
- Retrospective price-matching is available for 30 days after you have purchased from us.
- The price match cannot be used in conjunction with a coupon or one-off deal we are offering. The idea is for you to get the best price in the market so if that is already achieved through a coupon then we won't price match on top of that.
- We don't price match clearance or fire sales.
- We’ll match the listed price as long as it is a legitimate offer and the competing store is actually able to fulfil the order (they have stock or more stock is en route). Essentially we won't price match cheeky vendors listing wines they have no hope of actually getting for you...
- It must be a publicly listed price. We won't match a price that has been achieved through a coupon/cash-back arrangement, or through a non-advertised offer over the phone or otherwise.
- It is limited to a reasonable retail quantity.
We'll treat each price match request on its merit and reserve the right to refuse where we deem fit. For example, particularly rare wines, from non-trust-worthy vendors, in circumstances we deem illegitimate or if we feel our policy is being unfairly taken advantage of.
At the end of the day, we'll look after you and use common sense to ensure you're getting the best price, please just don't take the p%$$!
No, feel free to mix it up! There is no minimum requirement. You can order wines in any quantity or combination, 1 or 50+ bottles.
We stock three different sized gift boxes (single, three bottle and six), all are available for purchase for a flat rate of $8. They look great and make an awesome impression.
To add a gift box to your order, simply add at checkout. The special requests box is your friend, please give us as many details of what you are looking for and we will try our best, or get in contact to discuss it with you.
If you want to bulk order gifts or if you have any trouble please email hello@differentdrop.com or call and we can try and help.
If you can't add more wine to your cart it means we are low on stock of that wine. For example, if you are only able to 3 bottles and no more that means we only have 3 bottles left of that wine. If it's a must have, please contact us and we may be able to order more in for you.
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