A unique
setting
The vineyards and winery of Pago Finca Élez are located in the municipality of El Bonillo, in the province of Albacete, in a unique environment of great natural value. Finca Élez is located in the southern area of one of the best preserved juniper groves in Spain, which houses thousands of centuries-old specimens.
Finca Élez is located in the southern area of one of the best preserved juniper groves in Spain, which houses thousands of centuries-old specimens.
In addition, it limits the Special Protection Area (SPA) in El Bonillo, which is part of the Natura 2000 network. Here, protected species such as great bustards or little bustard are common.
A few kilometers away there are also places of high ecological value and tourist interest, such as the Lagunas de Ruidera Natural Park, the Sierra de Alcaraz or the Pinilla salt flats.
The story of
the winery
The first Appellation of Origin for an estate in Spain.
The Finca Élez winery began its activity in 1992. Founded by Manuel Manzaneque, a prestigious actor, director and theater producer. From its birth, the winery was created to produce unique wines of the highest quality.
In 2002 Finca Élez, as a result of the tenacity and a job well done, was the first to obtain in Spain an exclusive Denominación de Origen, spanish term for Appellation of Origin, for the estate. Since then, the wines made from our vineyards and in our winery have enjoyed the Denominación de Origen "Finca Élez".
Founding partner of Grandes Pagos de España
The entrepreneurial character of the founder led him to promote, along with other great winemakers such as Carlos Falco (Dominio de Valdepusa), Paco Uribes (Calzadilla), Victor de la Serna (Sandoval estate), an initiative that would lead to the creation of the internationally recognized association Grandes Pagos de España, of which the winery of Manuel Manzaneque, now Pago Finca Élez, was a founding partner in 2003.
A new
impulse
The New Owners In early 2020, Pago Finca Élez and its winery changed owners when it was acquired by the Villoldo Ruiz family. The current owners, Olallo Villoldo and Llanos Ruiz, are passionate about the countryside and agriculture, a passion that is related to their professional formation, since they are both agricultural engineers. Also due to their origins, he was born in El Bonillo, the municipality in which Pago Finca Élez is located, and she, in a small French town near Toulouse.
Looking at the past to Improve
Since its founding, Pago Finca Élez has been developing a long and prestigious history, as a producer of Pago wines of the highest quality. Wines that have accumulated numerous mentions and high scores in prestigious international competitions. For example, the silver medal for the 2009 Vino Escena at the IWSC 2019 or the gold medal in the Chardonnay du Monde 2019 competition for the 2016 Chardonnay. The new owners approach this project looking back, proud of its history and the trajectory of the winery, but at the same time with the firm objective of giving a new impetus to Pago Finca Élez.
The foundations of the new project are solid. Vineyards cultivated at 1,080m above sea level, in a privileged setting, with edaphic characteristics and a microclimate that is very special, which give Pago Finca Élez wines the quality of being exclusive.
“We are moving towards a new path without forgetting where we come from and what makes us Pago Finca Élez”
“We do not want a bigger winery, we want a happy winery”
The vision with which the project is approached is perfectly defined, we do not want a bigger winery, we want to be a happy winery. We will be happy: