2015, Rioja Alavesa, Phinca La Revilla Tinto, Bodegas Bhilar
Parker 93 (2024); Tim Atkin MW 93 (2024)
EDKA Rating 7/10
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At a glance
- Grape
- Tempranillo 100%
- Region
- Rioja, Spain
- Alcohol
- 15.00%
- Body
- Medium
- Acidity
- Medium
- Tannins
- Medium
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Long (10-20 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Red Meat, Poultry & Pork, Cheese
Why this wine
Bhilar farm biodynamically at a level almost no established Rioja house attempts, and bottle by parcel rather than by ageing category. This is Rioja stripped of its oak signature — the fruit and the site left exposed. For anyone who finds traditional Rioja too shaped by the barrel.
Our advantages:
Description
How it tastes
Balsamic notes with wild herbs, florals and a hint of nutty complexity, then very fine polished tannins and a fresh twist through a long finish. Hand-harvested, partly destemmed, foot-trodden and spontaneously fermented.
The producer
David Sampedro and Melanie Hickman run Bhilar from Elvillar in Rioja Alavesa, bottling parcel by parcel rather than by ageing category. This comes from several distinct vineyards David considers genuinely expressive — Rioja with the oak signature stripped away.
Food and drinking
Good with red meat, poultry & pork and cheese. Drinking well now, with a decade or more ahead of it. Serve at 16–18°C.