Winemaker Notes
The wine is austere, mineral and sharp profile with the strict palate limestone provides. The acidity of this high-altitude white is impressive, with 50% malolactic adding some creamy notes to the fresh, zesty, citrus and orange peel flavors.
Blend: 90% Viura, 10% Garnacha Blanca
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The certified organic white 2020 Bhilar Blanco comes from their own vineyards in the village of Elvillar that are also biodynamic (but not certified) and plowed by horse. The palest of their whites, it's a blend of Viura, Garnacha Blanca and Malvasía from a challenging year with 12.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.7 and six grams of acidity. The nose opens with notes of flowers, pollen and quince followed with a mellow palate and a soft texture, warm and rich. This had seven days of contact with the skins in the concrete fermentation tank and then was pressed and put back in concrete to finish fermentation. The wine spent six months in 225-liter French oak barrels that didn't add aromas or flavors Best After 2022
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
Highly regarded for distinctive and age-worthy red wines, Rioja is Spain’s most celebrated wine region. Made up of three different sub-regions of varying elevation: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental. Wines are typically a blend of fruit from all three, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta, at the highest elevation, is considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier Rioja Oriental produce wines with deep color and higher alcohol, which can add great body and richness to a blend.
Fresh and fruity Rioja wines labeled, Joven, (meaning young) see minimal aging before release, but more serious Rioja wines undergo multiple years in oak. Crianza and Reserva styles are aged for one year in oak, and Gran Reserva at least two, but in practice this maturation period is often quite a bit longer—up to about fifteen years.
Tempranillo provides the backbone of Rioja red wines, adding complex notes of red and black fruit, leather, toast and tobacco, while Garnacha supplies body. In smaller percentages, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) often serve as “seasoning” with additional flavors and aromas. These same varieties are responsible for flavorful dry rosés.
White wines, typically balancing freshness with complexity, are made mostly from crisp, fresh Viura. Some whites are blends of Viura with aromatic Malvasia, and then barrel fermented and aged to make a more ample, richer style of white.