Land & Soul
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LOLO
MERI
MARCOS
SIRA
The Key
A passionate lover of viticulture, Manuel Castro Gracia (Lolo) wanted to capture the essence of a vineyard in a wine, conveying its history, its terroir, its flora and fauna, ITS LAND AND ITS SOUL.
“Thinking in terms of vineyards” was his vision, rather than focusing on barrels, ageing processes, or grape varieties.
Lolo managed to share his enthusiasm with Meritxell Laborda Montalbán (Meri), his partner in life, and together they decided to embark on a beautiful and unexpected journey…
Origin
The first chapter of this story was written in 2006, when they discovered a hidden vineyard in Acered, at the foot of a pine forest and surrounded by wildlife. Its soil of pure slate, rugged, shimmering, and scattered with slabs of stone, seemed to hold an ancient secret. There, Garnacha vines over eighty years old grew alongside vines of other varieties that had stood the test of time.
That land chose them, not the other way around. And from it, in 2007, came LAJAS Finca El Peñiscal, their first wine and their symbolic first child. A wine that captured the lessons learned, the hard work, and the certainty that they were creating something that went far beyond the material world… marking the beginning of it all.
Finca El Peñiscal is intense, wild, and truly unique to the Castro Laborda family. Sira and Marcos came to play among its vines as if it were their own playground, learning about the land and wine alongside their family, friends, and curious visitors eager to discover what kind of crazy adventure was unfolding there.
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New Directions
Over the years, what began as one person’s dream became a shared family vision. In 2023, the family decided to give the project fresh momentum under the name Viñedos Castro Laborda. It was not a reinvention, but a natural evolution: another step along a journey that had begun almost two decades earlier.
They began searching for new vineyards, new stories, new treasures… And in 2024, they discovered La Perdida, a hidden vineyard nestled among the hills of Manchones and Murero, planted with equal parts Macabeo and Provechón. They gave it that name, meaning “The Lost One,” because it seemed to have been forgotten… until they found it.
Or perhaps it was the vineyard that found them. There, new wines, new questions, and new dreams will come to life.
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CULTIVATE, LEARN AND ENJOY
Lolo, Meri, Marcos, and Sira are tireless travellers, endlessly curious and deeply passionate about nature. We don’t know where they will find the next key that leads them to write another chapter of their story, and that’s the beauty of it.
At Viñedos Castro Laborda, we firmly believe that both land and soul must be nurtured, that every experience offers something to learn, and that life is meant to be enjoyed. In 2026, we will continue cultivating El Peñiscal, restoring La Perdida, and searching together as a family for vineyards whose stories deserve to be heard.
Because at Viñedos Castro Laborda, every step is a journey of discovery, every vineyard a promise, and every wine a way of leaving a lasting mark.
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