Bodegas Gil Berzal
A wild hike into a river bed on the outskirts of Laguardia — the scent of wild thyme, rosemary and chamomile greets every crunchy footstep — reveals a patrimonial mid-slope parcel, “San Julian.” This is only the beginning of the story of Bodega Gil Berzal. Saúl and Benjamin grew up watching their father Jose Luis farm and make wine in this ancient outpost of Rioja Alavesa — the heart of Basque Rioja. The family have always been naturalists and farmers, committed to working without chemicals or external influence here in Laguardia. But it wasn’t until Saúl returned home from working in Nuits St Georges several years ago that he began to see his terroir and winemaking style in a different light — a style of single parcels, care and pride of place, wines of “climat” as they say in Burgundy. Each parcel has its own harvest, its own vessels and spontaneous fermentations, its own aging. And if you know anything about the Rioja DO, you can imagine this approach isn’t well received. So Bodega Gil Berzal left the Rioja Alavesa DO in November 2024 — “an ethical exit,” as Juan calls it — to make wine differently from the factories of Rioja. This is Laguardia, and there’s no going back.
