Bodegas Juan Gil - Juan Gil Monastrell 2018
Price: $21.99
6+ Price: $15.99 / btl
| Producer | Bodegas Juan Gil |
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| Country | Spain |
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| Region | Jumilla |
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| Varietal | Monastrell |
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| Vintage | 2018 |
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| Sku | 14751 |
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| Size | 750ml |
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The 2018 Juan Gil is from a cooler, more continental vintage, versus the more commonly warm, Mediterranean growing season found in the Jumilla region of Spain. The family-owned, certified-organic old vines are not irrigated. For this vintage, the winery introduced an optical sorter to ensure perfect grapes. And I mean perfect…
What’s that? You don’t know what an “optical sorter” is? (It’s ok… I had to look it up…)
An optical sorter is just what it sounds like… it’s a super fancy, expensive machine. At the beginning of harvest, the winemaker takes a set of grapes that he considers “perfect” and puts them in the machine. Using these perfect berries as the standard, the optical sorter then takes pictures of the grapes as the roll through the machine – somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000 grapes per minute! Now, here is the super cool part… when the machine identifies an imperfect grape, it sends a puff of air to knock it off the conveyer belt.
Okay… that is a pretty darn cool use of modern technology. I mean, who doesn’t want a wine made from only the best grapes?
The result is an impeccably pure and focused expression of the Monastrell (aka Mourvedre) grape that explodes from the glass with aromas of mulberries, raspberries and blackberries. Bright acidity – the result of the cooler season - provides the perfect backdrop for the rich, luscious blackberry and blueberry fruit. Hints of anise add to the complexity, along with a hint of oak spices. The finish is long and lush.
Hmmm… yummy… burgers, ribs, steak, pork and chicken on the grill… stew, braised short ribs… hmmm….
Wine Advocate: 93 Points
"The 2018 Juan Gil (silver label), from a cooler and rainier, more continental vintage than the 2017 I tasted next to it. The origin is the same, Monastrell from their own old, non-irrigated vines fermented in stainless steel and matured in French oak barrels for around 12 months. This is the first vintage that is certified organic. There were some challenges, but they resulted in a fresh and balanced wine with integrated oak and a juicy and round palate. They have introduced optical sorting of the grapes, and perhaps that's why there is more precision and purity. They cannot do manual sorting at this price point, but optical sorting seems like a good alternative. 2018 is a more difficult vintage than the 2017, yet this wine is better, juicier and seems to absorb the oak better, with just a smoky touch that reminded me somehow of a Northern Rhône. Really impressive. It was bottled in June 2020."
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