Juan Gil Silver Label 12 Meses - Organic & Vegan

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Jan/2025

2022 -

"It matured in new and second-use French oak barrels for one year, but they were looking for lower toast and less impact of the wood in the wine than earlier vintages when it was 100% new oak. It has a paler color and a subtler and more floral nose, keeping the poise and showing surprisingly fresh for the conditions of the year. It's ripe, reflecting the warm and dry weather, with 15% alcohol but very good freshness, coming through as balanced and harmonious, clean and pure. This is a bargain and a success for the year, a champion in drinkability. Bravo!" - Luis Gutiérrez

Guía Peñín, Jun/2024

2022 -

Style: Kind finish, tasty

Colour: Cherry, garnet rim

Aroma: Powerful, ripe fruit, black fruit, toasty, dark chocolate

Flavour: Flavourful, long

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Jan/2024

2021 -

"2021 is a cooler and fresher year than 2020, even though both were very good. The 2021 Juan Gil (silver label) feels more harmonious, complex and deep than the 2020, as I noticed in most wines when I tasted both years; it's longer and more elegant, very clean. It has similar parameters but the perception is fresher. It matured in French oak barrels. 312,000 bottles produced."

Decanter World Wine Awards 2024

2021 -

"Chocolatey character, with notes of coffee and vanilla. Really sweet and well ripen soft tannins."

Decanter World Wine Awards 2023

2020 -

"Plum tart, frangipane and floral nose. The palate is ripe, powerful and rich with lots of dried fig, prune and currant. Great ageing potential."

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Jan/2024

2020 -

"The 2020 Juan Gil (silver label) feels young and primary, ripe and with notes of young wine, berries, herbs and a touch of beeswax and honey. It has 15% alcohol and is juicy and full-bodied, with integrated oak and with grape flavors in the finish. 312,000 bottles produced."

James Suckling, Jul/2022

2020 -

"Rich and fruity, but also deep, with ripe blackberries, figs, spice and dark chocolate on the nose. Just a hint of dried fruit here. This is restrainedly generous with a medium to full body, showing creamy tannins and a flavorful finish. A very solid monastrell. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Drink now."

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Apr/2022

2019 -

"The 2019 Juan Gil (silver label) was produced with Monastrell grapes from their own old, non-irrigated vines fermented in stainless steel and matured in French oak barrels for around 12 months. It has 15% alcohol and a pH of 3.67, but somehow the wine does not come through as overripe; they eliminate all the raisins with their new optical sorting machine and that makes very clean wines and has increased the precision. They also reduced the toast of their barrels and that increases the integration of the oak with the fruit. Varietal, juicy, soft and very drinkable. 312,000 bottles. It was bottled in June 2021."

Guia Penin 2021

2019 -

Colour: deep cherry. Smell: ripe fruit, dried herbs, creamy oak, toasted. Flavour: powerful, ripe fruit, spicy, ripe tannins. 

James Suckling, Oct/2021

2019 -

"Blueberries, wild strawberries, dried leaves, chocolate and ink on the nose. Medium-to full-bodied with chalky tannins and fresh acidity. Dry and savory character with a touch of wild herbs to close. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Drink now."

Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Sept/2020

2018 -

"I also tasted the following vintage, 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 Rhone. Really impressive. 312,000 bottles. It was bottled in June 2020."

Guia Penin Jul/2021

2018 -

Colour: deep cherry. Aroma: creamy oak, black fruit, scrubland. Flavour: powerful, ripe fruit, spicy, round tannins. 

Vinous, Jan/2021

2018 -

"Inky ruby. Fresh black and blue fruit aromas are sharpened by a smoky mineral nuance and a flourish of pungent flowers. Sappy and seamless in texture, offering juicy, spice-laced cherry and boysenberry flavors supported by a smoky mineral undertone. Finishes silky, precise and very long, with lingering florality and well-knit tannins."

Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Sep/2020

2017 -

"The 2017 Juan Gil (silver label) was produced with Monastrell from old, dry-farmed vines on stony limestone soils. It fermented in open-top stainless steel tanks and aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. This is a textbook Mediterranean vintage with a varietal profile mixing aromatic herbs, berries and spices, with a smoky touch. It has notes of esparto grass and other aromatic herbs and ripe berries. It has fine-grained chalky tannins and a dry finish. Truly Mediterranean and a textbook Jumilla. 312,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2019."

James Suckling, Jul/2019

2017 -

"A full-bodied red with plum, dark-berry and cherry aromas and flavors. Full body, yet shows form and structure. Drink now."

Antonio Galloni’s Vinous, Apr/2019

2016 -

"Opaque ruby. Aromas of blackberry, blueberry, lavender and vanilla are complemented by a smoky mineral overtone. Weighty yet energetic on the palate, offering appealingly sweet dark berry flavors along with suave floral pastille and spicecake nuances. Smooth and seamless in style, finishing with repeating spiciness, supple tannins and lingering florality. (raised in new and used French oak barrels for one year)"

Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Apr/2019

2016 -

"The 2016 Juan Gil (silver label) is pure Monastrell from old, non-irrigated vines that was aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. They had to do a severe selection, as the year was quite challenging (but later 2018 was even a more difficult year); they discarded a lot of grapes, and they told me that they had never sold so much wine in bulk. That seems to have paid off, and the wine is quite harmonious and clean. It has some dusty tannins and an austere profile. The oak is very well integrated, folded into the fruit. 312,000 bottles. It was bottled in June 2018.

The Gil family from Jumilla have built a brand new winery that has 100% renewable energy, and all the waste is reused (water goes to humus, etc.). All of their vineyards are organically farmed even though they don't have a full certification in order to avoid bureaucracy. 2017 was a Mediterranean year in the style of 2015, and 2018 was cooler, more in the style of 2016, both very challenging harvests."

Gismondi on Wine, Nov/2019

2016 -

"Jumilla monastrell is never shy, never reserved, but rather exuberant and out there as much as any red grape can be. Intense black plum jam and pepper lines the nose and palate. The attack is rich and satiny with a long, ripe, black fruit, peppery palate. The finish is warm but mostly in balance, and a beautiful fall/winter red for stews, lamb or cassoulets."

Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, Dec/2017

2015 -

"The 2015 Juan Gil (silver label) is their pure Monastrell aged in oak for 12 months. The profile of this wine has changed, and there is now no trace of oak; it feels a lot more focused, fresh and approachable, with berries, Mediterranean herbs and balsamic notes, quite intense. The palate is very tasty, not terribly complex, with fine tannins, good balance and freshness. Approachable and easy to drink. Bravo for the change! They produced 360,000 bottles of this wine."

James Suckling, Aug/2018

2015 -

Deanna Van Mulligan, Winescores.ca, Jan/2017

2014 -

"Fragrant supple, fresh. Made from an old vine parcel of Monastrell, this wine spent 12 months in (primarily) French oak barrels. Redolent in chocolate and black raspberry and brown spices, dusty plums and earthy wild herbal tones it is equally inviting on the palate. Fresh purple berries, licorice, chocolate and pipe tobacco with savoury smoked meats and toasted spice. Bold and chewy but overall amazing structure and freshness."

Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Jan/2017

2014 -

"(aged for a year in French oak barrels, 30 percent of them new) Glass-staining ruby. Deep-pitched black and blue fruit aromas are complemented by suggestions of woodsmoke, incense and candied violet, and a subtle hint of vanilla emerges with air. Juicy and deeply concentrated yet lively as well, offering sweet blackberry, cherry cola and floral pastille flavors and a refreshing jolt of white pepper. The long, broad finish features repeating florality and rounded tannins that fold smoothly into the dark fruit."

Guía Peñin 2020

2017 -

James Suckling, Dec/2016

2014 -

"Some currants, cherries and plums on the nose. Full to medium body, drying tannins and a citrusy and slightly bitter finish. Drink now."

Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Jun/2016

2013 -

"The wine formerly known as '12 Mesesas' it aged for one year in barrique is now simply distinguished from the others by the label color, so this is now 2013 Juan Gil (silver label). It's pure Monastrell from dry-farmed vines, fermented in open stainless steel vats. The oak is a lot less prominent than in previous vintages to the point that some might not recognize it. In fact, they do not necessarily age it in oak for 12 months, but they adjust the time according to the characteristics of the vintage. For me it has gained in drinkability, as the balance is better; there are subtle oak aromas and a softer texture. The fruit seems to have achieved a nice ripeness without showing any excess. The cooler year has helped to produce a much fresher wine. Impressive. This is great value, too. 360,000 bottles produced."

Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Jan/2016

2013 -

"Bright purple. Deeply pitched aromas of ripe black and blue fruits, along with vanilla and mocha, are complicated by floral overtones and a touch of pipe tobacco. The appealingly sweet palate shows very good depth, with plush dark berry and cherry-vanilla flavors and lifting zesty minerals. The smooth, broad, gently tannic finish leaves behind notes of smoky minerals and candied blue fruit. Considering its heft, this wine is surprisingly graceful thanks to vibrant minerality."