Rioja En Labastida - Tempranillo & Grenache (23)

65% Tempranillo met 35% Garnacha en een klein percentage Viura | fieldblends van drie wijngaarden rond Labastida | stokken tussen 60 en 100 jaar oud | 30% whole bunch | terroir van zand en veel kalksteen | vergisting in staaltank en  beton | rijping voor 11 maanden in beton en gebruikte Franse eikenhouten vaten van 500 liter | 5000 flessen gemaakt | wat donker fruit | beetje gekruid | rokerig | floraal | lengte | verfijnde tannine | elegant en puur 

José Gil

Zelden een wijnmaker ontmoet die op jonge leeftijd al zo toegewijd is aan zijn wijngaarden en zo snel naam en faam maakt binnen de wijnwereld. José Gil en zijn vrouw Vicky runnen samen 5ha aan wijngaarden in Rioja. Al hun wijngaarden zijn terug te vinden rondom het “grand cru" dorp San Vicente de la Sonsierra. Hier hebben Olivier Rivière en Abel en Maite Mendoza ook hun wijngaarden liggen. Vaak zijn de percelen niet groter dan een kwart hectare en tegen of zelfs over de 100 jaar oud. 

In 2021 roept wijnjournalist Tim Atkim MW José en Vicky uit tot "Young Winemaker of the Year” in zijn speciale Rioja Report. Ze maken wijnen op basis van single vineyards en één Vino de Pueblo (village wijn). José heeft stage gelopen in de Bourgogne en Mosel en heeft zo zijn kijk op de wijngaarden van Rioja doen veranderden. 

Review

The village red 2023 Viñedos en Labastida was produced with grapes from old vines, three plots of very old vines ranging from 60 to 100 years of age on different soils, mostly sandy and fine, all very rich in limestone, where they have field blends of Tempranillo with Garnacha and Viura. The key is that they added a centenary plot that is now the backbone of the wine and has almost 50% Garnacha, so the final blend is almost 35% Garnacha. It fermented in stainless steel and concrete vats with 30% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in 500-liter barrels for 11 months. The nose is subtler than that of the San Vicente, cleaner and more elegant, and the palate is similar, with very fine and elegant tannins with a little chalkier grip. This has complexity and depth. This is terribly precise and elegant, balanced and harmonious, with the ingredients and balance between them to develop nicely in bottle. They also grew in volume here. 5,000 bottles were filled in September 2024. 94+/100 Luis Gutiérrez

Husband and wife Jose Gil and Vicky Fernandez, Vignerons de la Sonsierra, now have 12 hectares of owned and rented vineyards and age their wines in concrete and 500-liter barrels in their medieval caves under the San Vicente de la Sonsierra castle. They produce 30,000 bottles. This is one of the most (if not the most) interesting young projects in Rioja.

I tasted the reds from 2023 and the white from 2022. 2023 was slightly cooler than 2022, with more rain and a later harvest, when they have added some plots from La Canoca and made slight changes in other wines. It was not an easy year; it hailed twice in some plots (Bardallo and Camino de Ribas), which made them sort, select and discard, but the result was fresher than 2022. They are still on their way up, polishing details in many things, including the bottling, and there's more precision in the wines. They used more full clusters in 2023 than in 2022. 2022 was, of course, a very warm and dry year, harvested early and aged in barrel and demijohn that gave the wine more agility.