Jose Gil Viñedos en San Vicente de la Sonsierra 2024

This is the village red from José Gil, a young Rioja vigneron working organically around San Vicente de la Sonsierra in the Rioja Alavesa. It blends Tempranillo with Garnacha Tinta and a little white Viura, drawn from old vineyards on the clay-limestone slopes of the Sonsierra in the north of the appellation. These poor, high calcareous soils and the cool continental climate, tempered by Atlantic influence, ripen the Tempranillo slowly and keep its freshness, while the field-blended Garnacha adds fruit and the Viura a lift of aromatic freshness in the old traditional manner. The fruit is farmed organically. The wine is aged ten months across concrete tanks and oak barrels, the concrete preserving the bright primary fruit and the barrel adding a light savoury frame and rounding the tannins through gentle oxygen exchange. It pours bright ruby, with a nose of red berries, cherry and plum over a savoury, herbal note and a touch of earth. The palate is medium bodied and fresh at 13.5% alcohol, with fine tannins, lively acidity and a clean, mineral finish. This is Rioja in a fresher, terroir-driven style. Serve at 15 to 16C with roast and grilled meats.