Jose Gil Parcela El Bardallo 2022

94 Points - James Suckling

Notes from the Winemaker

 ORIGIN
 Spain
 APPELLATION
 Rioja
 SOIL
 Clay limstone, sand
 AGE OF VINES
 40
 ELEVATION
 515 meters
 VARIETIES
 Tempranillo, Viura
 FARMING
 Sustainable
 FERMENTATION
 Hand harvested, destemmed, natural 
yeast co-fermentation in 500L French 
oak barrels
 AGING
 10 months in neutral 500L French oak 
barrels

Jose Gil grew up in San Vicente, where his family have been grape growers 
and winemakers for generations. His grandfather, father, and uncle own Bodegas 
Olmaza, a small 35-hectare estate famed for its vibrantly traditional “village” 
wine. Before modern or traditional Rioja, there was a simpler style of whole
cluster, co-fermented wines that were as naked and honest an expression of 
Rioja as one could find. So it should come as no surprise that when José Gil 
started his own project, he would follow in his ancestors’ footsteps.

 Jose’s project began in 2011 with two parcels of vines and the purchase of an 
old cave on the outskirts of San Vicente. Generations of farmer-winemakers 
have used these caves to age their wines, and they’ve returned to fashion with 
younger winemakers today. His first vintage was 2013, but it wasn’t until 2016 
that he felt he had discovered his vineyards’ nature and how best to nurture their 
expression in the cellar. In 2017 Vicky Fernández, his partner, joined the project, 
and they’ve been steadily increasing their production. To facilitate this growth, 
they’ve acquire additional vineyards and puchased winery in Briones where the 
wines are made before barreling and aging in their cellar in San Vicente.
 Jose currently farms 5 hectares of vines located in the villages of San Vicente, 
Labastida, and Briones. Practices are manual and organic although he is not 
certified. The vines range in age from 5 to 130 years old with the majority 
Tempranillo, a small percentage of Viura. The oldest vineyard plots a co-planted 
with tiny percentages of other grape varieties which include Garnacha and 
Palomino. When the grapes reach the cellar after being harvested by hand, they 
are fermented either whole-cluster, or partially destemmed. All fermentations 
are by indigenous yeasts and extraction is gentle. After pressing the wines are 
racked into 225-300L French oak barrels and transported to the aging cellar in 
San Vicente.
 El Bardallo comes from a 40-year-old vineyard of Tempranillo (with a tiny 
percentage of Viura) planted on a chalky clay-limestone and sandstone soil. 
This site faces northeast resulting in an elegant and refined style of Rioja.