Gil Berzal may be the most important wine maker you haven't heard of. His Recoveco Valcavada is from a single premier vineyard in the village of La Guardia in the Alavesa sub-region of Rioja, which sits at some 600 meters in elevation. The current vineyard was planted in 1990 from cuttings of very old ungrafted vines, which were grafted onto American rootstock, to preserve the local genetics and old vine character. The soils here are calcareous clay and thin topsoil on very deep limestone bedrock. You can taste the stony minerality in this wine, and the plum and dark red fruits dominate the nose as there is little oak influence. This wine is a serious terroir-driven Rioja with weight and delectable tannin structure, but a pure expression of the fruit and the soils. 

Grape: 80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha

Farming: Biodynamic, Organic, Regenerative 

Soil: Limestone bedrock with some clay and only some 6 inches of topsoil 

Pairing: Aged manchego, roasted pork, chorizo