Bodegas Bhilar is a boutique winery located in Elvillar, Rioja Alavesa, run by husband and wife team, David Sampedro and Melanie Hickman. Their goal is to make terroir-driven wines with soul, while fiercely respecting the land, working only with indigenous grapes and in order to share their unique wines with good people with positive energy. They believe minimal intervention allows the land to speak for itself.
In the year 1999, David started learning about the biodynamic philosophy and changed how he cared for his vineyards. First, he converted to organic farming and then began following tenants to recover the harmony between man, earth, vines, and cosmos. In 2014, tractors were eliminated and horses were brought back to farm the vineyards.
Due to the diverse landscape of Elvillar, David wanted to showcase a number of vineyards he feels are truly unique and expressive which led him to bottle several single-vineyard wines. As he puts it, “Inside each subzone, you can find vineyards that have something special. Once vinified, they aspire to communicate their geographic, temporal, historic and cultural origin: the soil, the surroundings where the grapes were grown, sun exposure and microclimate for each vineyard in order to capture the fragrance of flowers, minerals, dew and the vines natural surroundings.”
- Tinto
- Lagrimas de Graciano
- Phincas Rioja Tinto
- Phinca Abejera Tinto
- Finca El Vedao Tinto
- Phinca Lali Tinto