Phinca La Revilla, blanco
Le vin était autrefois connu sous le nom de Terca, mais quelques changements dans la vinification et un désir de refléter l’origine des raisins ont conduit au changement de nom.
Vignoble : Petite parcelle de 0.68 hectare connue sous le nom de La Revilla, plantée en 1925. Les sols de ce vignoble contiennent du calcaire et de l’argile, mais le pourcentage plus élevé d’argile garde plus d’humidité et, par conséquent, c’est un sol plus riche et plus fertile. Chaque vigne en gobelet est retenue par un pieu à cause des vents importants balayant cette parcelle.
Appellation : DOCa Rioja (sous-région: Rioja Alavesa)
Cépages : 100% de viura (plusieurs clones)
Récolte et production : Vendanges manuelles. Les raisins sont partiellement égrappés au-dessus de fûts de 500 L et foulés aux pieds. La fermentation a lieu en présence de la peau et de la râfle et lorsque terminée, le vin est pressé et placé dans des fûts de 225 L en chêne français neutres (usagés . Le vin repose ensuite sur sa lie pendant 6 ans. Aucune filtration, aucun remplissage (pas de flor) et embouteillage par soutirage.
Un des plus grand vin blanc de la Rioja… ou même d’Espagne !
Critiques :
Millésime 2015
- « Almost 100% », says David Sampedro of this field blend of Viura with bits and pieces of other varieties. Foot crushed, skin fermented and then aged in un-topped barrels for six years, it’s a brilliant, off-the-wall wine from a winemaker who isn’t afraid to push a few boundaries. « An Oloroso made with Viura » is how he describes it and I know what he means: dense and savoury with umami, nutmeg and toffee apple flavours. Drink 2024-28.
95 pts — Tim Atkin, Rioja Report 2024
Millésime 2013
- David Sampedro has a magic touch with white wines, consistently producing something remarkable from this clay-based, 95-year-old, 0.6-hectare vineyard in Elvillar. Waxy, toasty and showing some grip from skin contact, it has flavours of orange zest, saffron, oatmeal and a salty, Sherry-like tang. Drink 2020-25
White Wine of the Year
96 pts — Tim Atkin, Rioja Report 2020 - There is no wine from 2012 or 2014, so I tasted the still-unbottled 2013 Phinca La Revilla Blanco, a golden/amber colored white full of notes of pollen and beeswax and a spicy, Jura-like twist. It has a polished palate with some flavors that remind me of some of the old-style whites from Rioja (think Castillo Ygay or Tondonia) with pungent flavors and great persistence. It’s like a modern version of the classical style, matured for a very long time in barrels that are not topped up. This has oxidized slowly in barrel and should be very stable in bottle. It will be bottled in its sixth year. The more I smelled the wine, the more it reminded me of the old Castillo Ygay Blanco. A few weeks later, I retasted the bottled version of it, and it showed a little riper, with notes of quince and yellow plums, quite intriguing. A unique white. There are some 1,000 bottles of this. Drink 2019-2023.
95 pts — Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate #243 (Jun. 2019)
Millésime 2011
- Introduced to the Bhilar range for the first time in 2011, but only recently released, this immediately takes its place among the best wines of the region. Sourced from a 1925 vineyard in (where else?) Elvillar, it’s a blend of mostly Viura with a little Malvasía and Garnacha Blanca. Aromatic and savoury, with yeasty, bready notes, subtle honey and wild herb flavours and a dense, sappy, bone dry finish. After six years in barrel, this is remarkably fresh. Drink 2019-23.
White Wine Discovery of the Year
95 pts — Tim Atkin, Rioja Report 2018