Bodegas Gil Berzal 2021 Buscando El Paraiso

As the story goes, Saul discovered this site on a hike some 10-odd years ago, and he has since then turned it into an experiment to test the effects of different rootstocks on different varietals. He has taken grafts of some of his oldest vines from each of the varietals on hand, and has planted them on a variety of rootstocks to observe. The wine is a field blend of Garnacha Blanca, Malvasia, Chardonnay, Maturana Blanca, Sauvignon Blanc, Tempranillo Blanco, Turruntes, Verdejo, and Viura. Each vintage is vinified differently, and in the case of the 2021, it is fermented with native yeasts in a polymer egg before aging 10 months on the lees. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with zero addition of sulfur. If the varietals were any indication, there is a lot going on in this wine. This is much more aromatic than any wine I've ever encountered from Rioja, with pineapple, white peach, and thyme all jumping out of the glass. The palate has plenty of verve, with high acidity up front and a texture that feels somewhere between juicy and oily. For all of its vibrant fruit character, there is still something savory (green tea, spice) that continues onto the palate and gives balance. Decidedly unconventional, I can't wait to see how they reinterpret this wine for years to come.