Vinos en Voz Baja: The Quiet Wines of Carlos Mazo, Rioja’s new Garnacha gun

Carlos Mazo is the new name to watch for Garnacha wines of place and terroir in La Rioja – one of the world’s greatest wine regions. Following in the footsteps of quality pioneer Alvaro Palacios, Carlos is from Rioja’s far eastern edge, now named Rioja Oriental (formerly Rioja Baja, a name change fostered by Alvaro himself to further define this very different face of Rioja). Rioja Oriental’s historic viticultural focus was Garnacha, not the Tempranillo of Rioja Alta and Alavesa. 

Vinos en Voz Baja (whispering wines) is a tiny project in Aldeanueva de Ebro just outside Alfaro at the eastern boundary of Rioja, an area now termed ‘La Rioja Oriental’. Winemaker Carlos Mazo is one of a generation of young, thoughtful producers further driving change towards authenticity and vineyard/terroir specificity. His family cultivates local varieties Garnacha (red and grey), Tinta Velasco, a little Tempranillo, Viura and Pasera across six hectares. Work is manual and ecological, without herbicides or pesticides, just as his grandfather did. Fermentations are spontaneous and carried out parcel by parcel. Grapes are foot stomped in small plastic vessels, concrete or open barrels and ageing takes place mainly in used oak. These exceptional wines are achieved without oenological additives and only a minimal dose of sulphur at bottling. MW Tim Atkin anointed Carlos as Rioja Young Winemaker of the Year in 2023, impressed by the elegant, beautifully honest and vibrant wines. 

“...new to me was Carlos Mazo's Vinos en Voz Baja in the Rioja Oriental village of Aldeanueva. This is another inspiring venture – so much so that Carlos is my young winemaker of the year – working with ten parcels spread over just six hectares in Aldeanueva, Alfaro, Autol, Calahorra and Rincón de Soto. He started out in a garage in 2012 and has been in his own, very stylish boutique winery since 2020. The focus here is on old vine Garnacha (plus a bit of Calagraño/Pasera and Tinta Velasco/Graciano de Alfaro) of remarkable finesse and elegance. “I'm trying to change perceptions of the Rioja Oriental,” he told me. “I want to talk about these different villages and explain why they are different.” - Tim Atkin MW, Rioja 2023 Special Report.