Lágrimas de Bhilar Graciano

Graciano is a late-ripening Rioja variety rarely bottled on its own, because plantings of it across the region are scarce - it's traditionally used in tiny percentages to add structure and aromatic lift to Tempranillo blends. The Lágrimas de Bhilar label exists to showcase those orphan varieties as single-cuvée wines. This 2022 release is 100% Graciano.

Bodegas Bhilar's Graciano comes from dry-farmed bush-vine parcels on calcareous clay (limestone) soils in Rioja Alavesa. Organic and biodynamic, horse-ploughed, hand-harvested. Whole-berry, indigenous-yeast fermentation in concrete vats, then six months on lees in concrete - no oak, by design, to let the variety speak.

14% ABV. 2022 was Rioja's hottest, driest vintage on record, with four heatwaves driving vines into early shutdown. Drought preserved fruit health and acidity better than the heat suggested; Alavesa producers picked by soil rather than by variety or altitude. Graciano's late ripening helped Bhilar hold the alcohol moderate and the freshness in.