BODEGAS HISPANO+SUIZAS

When Courage Met Tenacity

Origins define the present, and Hispano Suizas is a perfect example. The most inspiring and imitated winery in the Valencian Community today has, from the beginning, been a laboratory of viticultural and oenological ideas aimed at creating extraordinary wines.

Rafa Navarro and Pablo Ossorio, and at that time also Marc Grin, brought together in their project a vineyard located in a privileged area of Requena, with soils that have been producing grapes for over two millennia and a continental climate with Mediterranean influences that could offer great potential if courage joined forces with tenacity.

And so it happened. Starting from the idea of making wines for the world, they put aside any prejudice regarding grape varieties or production methods. As a result, they have turned the winery into a national benchmark for Pinot Noir, elevated the local Bobal to the highest level with their Bobos, and even dared, in their latest successful venture, to produce a Mediterranean Albariño that, despite its very limited production, continues to surprise with each new vintage.

Versatile winemaking is combined with classic vineyard management, where they are unafraid to experiment with varieties that might adapt to the terroir. They plant, wait, vinify, wait again, vinify once more, and only if the resulting wine meets the same exclusivity and quality standards as the rest of the winery’s range does it become part of the Hispano Suizas family.

And All of It, from Requena, Valencia

The winery makes all its wines from its own grapes, which explains why production is sometimes as limited as Albariño Finca Casa Julia, of which fewer than 9,000 bottles are produced. This limitation is a small price to pay for total control over cultivation. Rafa Navarro, who watches the sun rise over the vineyards each morning of the year, achieves unbeatable grape quality and, even more impressively, remarkable consistency harvest after harvest. Anticipating problems, trends and even pessimism by instinct, he always stays one step ahead to ensure that the grapes selected for the winery meet the standards of wines destined for excellence.

Their first miracle came with Sauvignon Blanc in Impromptu, a white wine with a French soul, fermented in 400 litre French oak barrels in red wine territory, a true statement of principles. Then came the barrel aged reds such as Bassus Pinot Noir, a single varietal aged ten months in new 300 litre French oak barrels, followed by Bassus Finca Casilla Herrera, a blend of five varieties aged 20 months in new barrels. The Quod Superius is the winery’s flagship, a blend of national and international varieties aged 30 months in 300 litre French oak and passing through two new barrels, making it a benchmark among Spain’s top cellaring wines. Not to forget their strong commitment to the native Bobal variety, with vines over 80 years old that have redefined the concept of Bobal wines under the name Finca Casa La Borracha, Bobos.

They also take special care with Albariño Finca Casa Julia mentioned earlier, and with Impromptu Rosé, often recognized as the best rosé of the year in numerous guides season after season; it is also made from Pinot. In fact, Pinot in the hands of Rafa and Pablo produces miracles as rare as Bassus Dulce, a naturally sweet rosé made from red grapes, of course Pinot Noir.

And all with the back label of DOP Utiel Requena, Cava and Valencia, defending the Requena territory that gives its name to the region and that Hispano Suizas has helped to elevate, opening new paths to compete in an increasingly demanding world. Indeed, when knowledge and courage, without recklessness, join forces with tenacity, without stubbornness, the result can only be extraordinary.

From Bodegas Hispano+Suizas:

“JamesSuckling.com GIVES 92 POINTS TO FOUR OF OUR WINES The American wine critic, who tasted most of the Hispano references, positioned all the wines in an outstanding range of scores, not dropping any of the 90 points. Among the critic’s favorites is Bassus Finca Casilla Herrera. He highlights the work carried out by the winemaker Pablo Ossorio in recent years and pays special attention to Bassus Finca Casilla Herrera vintage 2020, which he does not hesitate to award with 92 points. Quod Superius is one of the most complex blends of the winery, showing the strength of Hispano Suizas in making the best assemblage of grapes and parcels, it also shows how important managing balance is in the region. The 2019 vintage stood out in terms of a fine evolution to the vintage, which James Suckling awarded 92 points. In Bodegas Hispano Suizas we produce a full range of wine styles of which high-altitude CAVA stands out. A traditional Method Cava (based exclusively on Champagne varietals Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) is aged on lees far longer than the DO’s regulated 9 months: “We age at least 22 months for the Tantum Ergo range, and 47 months (nearly 4 years!) for the Vintage Cava”. Tantum Ergo cava rose made from Pinot Noir was recently awarded 92 points by James Suckling.”