This wine is a pre arrival, with estimated arrival of mid spring. 

José Gil grew up in San Vicente de la Sonsierra in the Rioja Alta where his family has grown grapes for generations. José Gil’s wines are based off of an ancient, simpler style of whole-cluster, co-fermented wines aged for short periods before release. The wines feel bare of conceit. José purchased an old cave on the outskirts of San Vicente in 2011 used to age wines for generations before. He began farming two vineyards nearby and in 2017 was joined by his partner Vicky Fernández. They’ve purchased new vineyards and a winery in recent years. Currently, they farm 5 hectares near the villages of San Vicente, Labastida, and Briones. All of the vineyard work is done manually and the vines are farmed organically. The vines range in age from 5-130 years, mostly of tempranillo, with a small portions of viura. The oldest vines also have garnacha and palomino sprinkled through. José Gil’s wines are not only stunningly subtle and delicious but also serve as a fascinating look back in time at what the paisanos would have been drinking in the hills of Rioja Alta some centuries before.

El Bardallo comes from a paraje or lieu-dit with plots of 40 year-old tempranillo and small amounts of viura planted on chalky clay and limestone and sandstone. The site orients northeast making for an elegant but serious style of Rioja. The grapes are hand harvested and ferment whole-cluster with indigenous yeasts in 500 liter french oak barrels where it also matures. The wine is bunches of juicy cherries and plums with velvety tannins and leather and spices. The core is like a chalky spire. A beautiful wine.

The Wine Advocate 94

“It's quite fruit-driven, aromatic and reminiscent of the old carbonic-fermentation reds matured in barrel, juicy and velvety, with abundant, chalky tannins and a dry finish” - Luis Gutiérrez