Jose Gil Rioja
A lightning bolt new producer. Stunningly pure, palate staining new-wave Rioja
One of the great vignerons of Rioja, without a doubt. FERRAN CENTELLES, www.jancisrobinson.com
Jose Gil is one of the leading young producers in Rioja and the whole of Spain. He comes from a family of vignerons in San Vicente de la Sonsierra. He works the vineyards and makes the wine together with his wife. They now work eight hectares of vineyards and do all the work themselves. In 2021 they have more plots, and they fermented a white (around 1,000 bottles) and will do a total of 23,000 bottles. LUIS GUITTEREZ
I tasted this wine a few weeks ago. It was during a marathon tasting with one of the best importers of all things Spanish. It was a lightning bolt of a wine. I waited a few weeks to taste it again, I wanted to be sure I wasn't a bit "jaded" by the morning tastings that day. So, I just opened a bottle to see if that initial impression held up. It more than does, what a beautiful electric, authentic, bristling bottle of Rioja it is. I'll say this now, I've got 120 of the 180 bottles imported on hold. It's a must buy.
I asked the importer about the producer. Covid had meant that he imported the wines without visiting them which is unusual for him; his is a passion-over-profit business and his direct relationship with both the producers and their wines underpins every narrative. What he could tell me and what I've since found it is this.
Jose Gil is a brand spanking new label (using old vine vineyards) located in north-central part of Rioja at San Vincente. Its main protagonists are the husband/wife/winemaker/viticulturalist team of Jose and Vicky Gil. Jose is from a multi-generational Riojan wine family and Vicky is ex-hospo from Bilbao. They farm a clutch of old-vine plots in and around San Vincente - a village under the Cantabrian mountains and at the hypothetical intersection between the blue note wines influenced by the Atlantic and the red notes of the Mediterranean. Refreshingly, the wines can now bear the name of the village on the label (San Vincente). This is so important for enhancing an understanding of regional terroir identity that, for so long have been hidden behind broad labelling regimes like Reserva and Gran Reserva.
As you can see above, in only two vintages worth of releases, he is attracting praise from some heavy hitters like Luis Guitterez - Jose Gil is one of the leading young producers in Rioja and the whole of Spain- and Jancis Robinson's man, Ferran Centelles - one of the great vignerons of Rioja, without a doubt. For such unequivocal statements after just a couple of vintages, you've gotta be a bit special. They are!
Farming here is organic and winemaking follows a pretty simple methodology - fermentation in stainless and plastic bins, wild yeast ferments and elevage in larger 500 litre barrel for about 10 months. Sometimes there's a little bunch and sometimes not. In this case there's about 10%.
Now, getting back to this wine. As I said at the opening, it's fabulous. There's something about the purity of the fruit, the florals, the brown spice and the cool directness of the winet that makes you feel like it flows out of rock. Long and aristocratic. It's a ripper, pure and simple. Buy it.
I also have a few bottles of the single vineyard wines Gil makes. They too are wonderful, all subtly different and all hewn from an ancient terroir or, at least that's how it feels.
Cheers
Michael
One of the great vignerons of Rioja, without a doubt. FERRAN CENTELLES, www.jancisrobinson.com
Jose Gil is one of the leading young producers in Rioja and the whole of Spain. He comes from a family of vignerons in San Vicente de la Sonsierra. He works the vineyards and makes the wine together with his wife. They now work eight hectares of vineyards and do all the work themselves. In 2021 they have more plots, and they fermented a white (around 1,000 bottles) and will do a total of 23,000 bottles. LUIS GUITTEREZ
I tasted this wine a few weeks ago. It was during a marathon tasting with one of the best importers of all things Spanish. It was a lightning bolt of a wine. I waited a few weeks to taste it again, I wanted to be sure I wasn't a bit "jaded" by the morning tastings that day. So, I just opened a bottle to see if that initial impression held up. It more than does, what a beautiful electric, authentic, bristling bottle of Rioja it is. I'll say this now, I've got 120 of the 180 bottles imported on hold. It's a must buy.
I asked the importer about the producer. Covid had meant that he imported the wines without visiting them which is unusual for him; his is a passion-over-profit business and his direct relationship with both the producers and their wines underpins every narrative. What he could tell me and what I've since found it is this.
Jose Gil is a brand spanking new label (using old vine vineyards) located in north-central part of Rioja at San Vincente. Its main protagonists are the husband/wife/winemaker/viticulturalist team of Jose and Vicky Gil. Jose is from a multi-generational Riojan wine family and Vicky is ex-hospo from Bilbao. They farm a clutch of old-vine plots in and around San Vincente - a village under the Cantabrian mountains and at the hypothetical intersection between the blue note wines influenced by the Atlantic and the red notes of the Mediterranean. Refreshingly, the wines can now bear the name of the village on the label (San Vincente). This is so important for enhancing an understanding of regional terroir identity that, for so long have been hidden behind broad labelling regimes like Reserva and Gran Reserva.
As you can see above, in only two vintages worth of releases, he is attracting praise from some heavy hitters like Luis Guitterez - Jose Gil is one of the leading young producers in Rioja and the whole of Spain- and Jancis Robinson's man, Ferran Centelles - one of the great vignerons of Rioja, without a doubt. For such unequivocal statements after just a couple of vintages, you've gotta be a bit special. They are!
Farming here is organic and winemaking follows a pretty simple methodology - fermentation in stainless and plastic bins, wild yeast ferments and elevage in larger 500 litre barrel for about 10 months. Sometimes there's a little bunch and sometimes not. In this case there's about 10%.
Now, getting back to this wine. As I said at the opening, it's fabulous. There's something about the purity of the fruit, the florals, the brown spice and the cool directness of the winet that makes you feel like it flows out of rock. Long and aristocratic. It's a ripper, pure and simple. Buy it.
I also have a few bottles of the single vineyard wines Gil makes. They too are wonderful, all subtly different and all hewn from an ancient terroir or, at least that's how it feels.
Cheers
Michael