THE MARCH B-SIDES
FROM THE HEART OF SPAIN
Buil & Giné “Nosis” Rueda 2024
Buil & Giné built their reputation in Priorat, in Gratallops to be precise, crafting powerful yet polished wines rooted in Priorat’s dramatic landscape. So when I first encountered their Rueda bottling, Nosis, I had to pause. Priorat… making Verdejo?
After all, if Priorat is about depth and gravity, Rueda is about light and lift. Set along the Duero River in Castilla y León, Rueda is Spain’s spiritual home for Verdejo–a grape that thrives in high elevations, big swings between hot days and cool nights, and sandy soils strewn with river stones. That combination preserves freshness while allowing full aromatic development. It’s a region built for clarity and snap.
While I was, at first, skeptical that a Priorat house could manage the transition to Rueda, Nosis feels like Buil & Giné applying their precision and restraint to something crisp and expressive rather than dark and brooding. The result is a wine of tremendous lift and charm.
The 2024 vintage is bright and aromatically effusive right out of the gate: pineapple, mango, lime zest, and fresh herbs. There’s also a subtle fennel and green almond edge that keeps the fruit from feeling flashy. On the palate, it’s dry and clean with a beautiful line of acidity running straight through it. The finish is focused, crisp, lightly saline, and mouthwatering.
This is not a heavy white. It’s the bottle you open thinking, “We’ll just have one glass,” and then suddenly you’re reaching for another one halfway through dinner.
If I’m cooking, give me grilled shrimp with olive oil and sea salt, a platter of tinned seafood and good bread, or a simple arugula salad with lemon and shaved fennel. This wine loves salt. It loves citrus. It loves food that doesn’t try too hard.
Bernabeleva “Navaherreros” Garnacha 2022
Some wineries make wine. Others revive a legacy.
Bernabeleva began in 1923, when a Madrid physician, Dr. Vicente Álvarez-Villamil, purchased a rugged estate in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, at the foot of the Sierra de Gredos. He named it Bernabeleva — “bear’s forest” — a nod to the ancient carved stones in the region marking sacred hunting grounds. He planted Garnacha on decomposed granite soils long before anyone was talking about “mountain wine” as a category.
The estate’s early momentum was slowed by the turbulence of the 20th century, but the vines endured. In 2006, his great-grandchildren returned to revive the project with a clear vision: organic farming, minimal intervention, native yeast fermentations, and a commitment to letting the vineyards speak for themselves. In the process, Bernabeleva became one of the producers that helped put Gredos Garnacha on the global map.
The 2022 Navaherreros Garnacha captures that philosophy perfectly.
Sourced from old vines planted on granitic sand at elevation, this is Garnacha that feels lifted and transparent rather than dense or extracted- elegant but not lacking in muscle. Think of the first time you saw someone Michael Jordan dunk or Messi with a ball at his feet; that rare combination of incredible athleticism combined with the grace of ballet. There is a certain magic when the two combine.
On the nose, you’ll find wild red berries — raspberry, sour cherry — alongside thyme, dried herbs, and a subtle crushed-stone minerality that genuinely smells like mountain air.
On the palate, it’s vibrant and energetic. Bright acidity carries red fruit and spice across a silky frame. The tannins are fine and integrated, giving structure without weight. There’s a saline thread running through the finish that keeps everything fresh and precise.
This is Garnacha that dances instead of stomps. It’s expressive without being loud.
Pair it with grilled lamb chops and rosemary if you want to lean into the savory herbal notes, or keep things simple with grilled vegetables and Manchego. It also shines slightly chilled on a warm evening. It is the kind of red that disappears faster than you expect.
What I love about Navaherreros is its clarity. It tastes like where it comes from, high elevation, granite soils, old vines, cool nights. It’s not trying to be bigger than it is. It’s trying to be exactly what it is. And that’s more than enough.
