Ramiro Cruza Le Bihan
Winemaker at Castillo de Monjardin
Ramiro Cruza Le Bihan was born in Bilbao, Spain. With a French mother and Spanish father, he grew up in a bi-cultural household and speaks fluent French and Spanish.
In 1993, Ramiro enrolled at the Universidad de Navarra, where he earned a degree in Pharmacy. The following year, he decided to pursue his lifelong love of wine by entering the Enology program at the Universidad de La Rioja, from which he graduated in 2002. During his studies, he worked as a laboratory/winemaking assistant at Bodegas Roda in Haro.
Shortly after graduating, Ramiro joined Bodegas Castillo de Monjardin. Today, his role at the winery encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, including vineyard management, laboratory analysis, quality control and cellar management.
Castillo de Monjardín lies in the northwest corner of Navarra, in the foothills of the Pyrenées, not far from the French border. The estate is a way-station along the famous pilgrimage route from Paris to Santiago de Campostella, and its proximity, as well as its historic cultural links to France, provides a winemaking tradition based on Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot—distinct from viticultural practice in the rest of Spain. Monjardín’s 300+ acres of vineyards lie on sunny slopes at an average altitude of 1,800 feet, which are cooled by the “Cierzo” wind from the mountains. This unique microclimate and the winemaking skills of proprietor-winemaker Victor Villar yield wines of singularly intense aroma, full flavor, and firm structure.
