Bodegas El Nido "Clio" 2021
(Jumilla, Spain) - [WA 93]

About this Wine:
Based in Jumilla with winemaking roots going back over a century, Gil Family Estates comprises eight wineries spread throughout seven D.O.'s in Spain and are famous around the world for bold flavors, lavish texture and alluring spice.

The Bodegas El Nido winery is located in the Valle de La Aragona, inside the Murcia district of Jumilla. The vineyards are 76.8 acres of very old Monastrell vines (also known as Mataró or Mourvèdre) all vaso trained and oriented northeast, and 28.8 acres of 30-year old Cabernet Sauvignon vines on north facing hills. The vineyards have a foot deep layer of chalky stones over substrata of sandy soil. The Bodegas El Nido is a collaboration of the Gil Family and winemaker Chris Ringland, one of the best Australian enologists.

Clio has been rated 91-97 points for the past 13 consecutive years by acclaimed wine critics. The vineyards consist of 12Ha (29.7 acres) of Cabernet Sauvignon and 32Ha (79 acres) of very old Monastrell, with a very low yield. The grapes are harvested in small baskets to prevent bruising, and only the best bunches are selected. Fermented in stainless steel, aged in French oak for 24 months.

Notes from the Winemaker:
Bodegas El Nido is a project from the Gil Vera Family from Jumilla together with Australian winemaker Chris Ringland; it was born in 2002. The wines, Clio and El Nido, come from the grapes of the oldest vineyards that the Gil family owns around the winery. In the 2009 vintage, a 100% Syrah called Corteo was first produced. They have 46 hectares of vineyards and produce 70,000 bottles. Both 2018 and 2019 were very challenging vintages in the zone and they had to discard up to 30% of the grapes. 2019, perhaps more challenging because of the torrential rains in September, comes through as a little fresher and more balanced. They expect better 2020s... The vineyards are organically farmed, and the wines will be certified starting with the 2022 vintage.

"Made from 70% Monastrell and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 24 months in French and American oak, the wine exhibits a glass-coating opaque purple color with an expressive nose of pain grille, underbrush, brier, mineral, blueberry, and blackberry fruit leading to a plush, opulent wine with great density, savory flavors, and a lengthy finish."

Ratings & Reviews

93 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
The 2021 Clio is ripe and heady with generous oak. It's faithful to the house style, but like many other wines from the 2021 vintage from the Gil family, this also came through as fresher and more balanced than the 2020 counterpart. It has a full-bodied palate with abundant but finer tannins. It was bottled in September 2023. Drink 2025-2031." -LG (1/18/24)

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast (2020 Vintage):
"The color of blackberry preserves, this wine has aromas of Mission fig, ripe summer cherry and anisette. Plush tannins play host to black cherry, raspberry, baking spice and mocha flavors that sail into an enduring butterscotch and milk chocolate finish." - Mike DeSimone (Oct 2023)