The modern evolution of Castilla y León is simply fascinating to witness and should be high on the watchlist of luxury red wine drinkers. Although immortalized by Vega Sicilia ($450+) and Pingus ($1,000+), the region is by no means confined to those cult labels, as evidenced by Galia’s critical darling “Villages.”

This is $55 bottled hedonism that captures the rich essence of the ambitious, slowly evolved passion project of Jerome Bougnaud, whose past credits include the cult classic Pingus. Assembled from a series of lost/forgotten ancient-vine plots spanning 100 miles throughout the Duero River Valley—some soaring to elevations of 3,300 feet—this limited red is an astounding achievement of viticultural logistics and winemaking equipoise. It’s a seamlessly crafted Tempranillo blend exuding haunting aromatics and a dense palate packed with plush fruit, unique minerality, and sleek polish. Delivering on an expansive, symphonic scale, it rivals any exorbitantly priced “full-bodied” red—Ribera del Duero, Super Tuscans, Napa Cabernet, you name it. That’s why we highly recommend switching out a couple of those for today’s $55 stunner. Given its endlessly layered depth and opulence, you won’t miss them one bit. 

Over 25 years ago, Jerome Bougnaud was tapped as a key viticulturist for what has since become Spain’s most famous label: Pingus. While many Spanish reds have attained international recognition, Pingus is one of the few that are ubiquitously counted among the world’s most coveted wines. Bougnaud’s talents were quickly recognized by Pingus’ visionary creator, Peter Sisseck, and both continued their collaboration in launching Quinta Sardonia in 1998. Since then, Bougnaud has been frequently cited for his unmatched command of biodynamics and his deep connection to the soils of Castilla y León—the vast landscape covering nine D.O. wine zones, including Ribera del Duero, Toro, and Rueda. 

“The future lies in the past!” That’s what Spanish wine critic and author Luis Gutiérrez succinctly states as the spirit driving the ongoing Spanish winemaking renaissance. Fearless and inspired, a group of growers and winemakers are less concerned with denomination rules and more focused on rediscovered regions and rejuvenated plots of abandoned old vines to produce wines loaded with energy, imagination, and soul. Jerome Bougnaud’s Galia project epitomizes this new era. Sourced from more than 50 small parcels stretched along the Duero River from Soria to Valladolid, to access them means passing through the entirety of provinces Bigos and Segovia. Despite the enormous challenge of a project with such geographic scope, Bougnaud remained committed to rescuing these disregarded and ancient vineyards. It required using satellite imagery and countless weeks combing this wide-ranging, steep territory to pinpoint certain small plots often known only by local villagers. Already abandoned or slated for replanting due to their age (50-100+), as well as being difficult to farm and falling outside the official boundaries of Ribera del Duero, these sites were largely considered expendable to most but to Bougnaud; they would become the life-force behind Galia. 

Most of Galia’s sites are planted to head-pruned Tempranillo and Garnacha in varying combinations of soils containing clayey limestone and gravelly sand. Nearly 60% of the vines are at least 100 years old and some of them pre-date the phylloxera epidemic which wiped out most of Europe’s grapevines in the late 19th century. Every parcel is hand-harvested and fermented naturally in large concrete tanks and oak vats. The Garnacha is fermented with whole clusters while the Tempranillo is done with 30% whole clusters. Following the primary fermentation, the wine is transferred into a wide range of oak barrels ranging from 225 liters to gargantuan 2,500 liters—only 15% of the smaller barrels are new French oak. Bougnaud also uses some egg-shaped concrete vessels for aging, enhancing the wine’s sleek, textural mouthfeel. Today’s 2014 remained in barrel for 21 months prior to its unfined and unfiltered bottling. The final blend was 93% Tempranillo and 7% Garnacha. 

In combining the specificity of these dramatic sites, Bougnaud’s genius blending touch delivers a breathtaking portrait of regionality, embedded with its mystical history. This 2014 Galia “Villages'' displays an opaque dark ruby core with a violet-purple tone moving toward the rim. After a generous 60 minutes in the decanter at 55 degrees, the bouquet bursting from your Bordeaux stems is an aromatic roar of ripe black plum, black cherry liqueur, sandalwood, exotic spice, cassis, blood orange, candied violets, black raspberries, and dried herbs. The palate is full-bodied with a plush texture, dark spicy fruit, and a balanced mineral note lurking throughout. At seven years of age, this sumptuous red is just entering its best phase with fully integrated elements that maintain ample energy and freshness. The opportunity to tap into the rich, savory complexities of cellar-aged, “culty” Tempranillo? That’s too much magic to pass up!