Bodegas Bhilar Lágrimas de Garnacha 2024, Navarra

Lágrimas de Garnacha is Bodegas Bhilar’s Navarra red, made by David Sampedro from old Garnacha vines in San Martín de Unx, in the Baja Montaña area of northern Navarra. The vines grow on lime-rich soils at around 700 metres, and this far-northern spot catches the influence of the Atlantic, giving Garnacha unusual freshness and elegance. The grapes are destemmed and fermented with about two weeks on the skins in stainless steel, then pressed and left in tank for a few months, where malolactic fermentation takes place, before bottling. There is no heavy oak here, so the fruit sings.

Bodegas Bhilar Lágrimas de Garnacha has a deep red colour with violet tints. The nose is full of redcurrant, morello cherry, raspberry, wild strawberry and plum, lifted by rose petal and a touch of sweet spice. The palate is fresh and juicy, with soft tannins and a hint of minerality on the finish.

This is a brilliantly versatile red for lamb, stews, chorizo and potatoes, garlic prawns, tapas and cheese. Serve slightly below room temperature, at around 14–16°C. It is made to be enjoyed young, ideally within 2–3 years of the vintage.

Bodegas Bhilar is a small, family-run winery in Rioja Alavesa, run by winemaker David Sampedro and his wife Melanie Hickman. Bhilar is the Basque name for their home village of Elvillar, where limestone soils run through three valleys between the Sierra de Cantabria and the River Ebro. Their 9.5-hectare estate is farmed biodynamically, with old vineyards worked by hand and soil worked by horse. The winery is solar-powered and partly underground, and they use cement tanks to keep fermentations cool and the wines pure. Alongside their Rioja wines, Bhilar works with old-vine Garnacha in northern Navarra. The Lágrimas range shows their style at its most direct: fresh, characterful wines without heavy oak.