Juan Gil Blue Label 18 Meses - Vegan

Guia Peñín, Jul/2023

2021 -

Dark cherry, maroon rim. Ripe fruit, cabinetry, tobacco, sweet spices, powerful, black fruit. Spicy, ripe tannins, long.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Jan/2024

2021 -

"The oak of the 2021 Juan Gil (blue label) is subtler and feels more integrated into the wine. It's a fresher year of wines with more freshness and better balance, more elegance and length. It has 15.5% alcohol and finishes dry. 30,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2023."

Wine Enthusiast, Oct/2023

2020 -

"Dark garnet to the eye, this wine offers blackberry, butterscotch and sage leaf aromas. Polished tannins provide a backdrop to blackberry, black cherry, dark chocolate, anisette and nutmeg flavors. A refreshing vein of acidity plies the palate from first sip to the lingering finish."

James Suckling, Jul/2022

2020 -

"Red plums and black cherries here, with hints of sweet spices, dark chocolate and wet earth. Medium-to full-bodied with polished tannins and mellow, slightly jammy fruit character. Monastrell, cabernet sauvignon and syrah. Vegan. Drink now."

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Apr/2022

2019 -

"I also tasted the 2019 Juan Gil (blue label), the wine formerly known as 18 Months, the time it spends in barrel. They use 100% new oak that is a mixture of French and American. The wine is ripe, oaky and heady (15.5% alcohol), but I felt a change in the oak, which seemed more integrated. When I asked Miguel Gil, he told me they had changed the toast, using less toasted barrels, from medium+ to medium, and that shows in the wine. They still believe this wine should have new oak to give it aging potential. They have also introduced optical sorting of the grapes and eliminate the raisins (by shape) and the unripe grains (by color), and that adds precision and cleanliness. 30,000 bottles were produced. It was bottled in June 2021."

Wine Enthusiast, July/2022

2019 -

"Deep ruby to the eye, this wine has a bouquet of black currant and mocha. It is smooth at first sip, and then opulent tannins fill the mouth, offering a backdrop for flavors of cherry, raspberry, milk chocolate and menthol that slowly recede into a soft, minty finish."

James Suckling, Dec/2021

2019 -

"Aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants, stewed cherries, charred wood and grilled herbs. It’s full-bodied with ripe tannins. Big and punchy. 60% monastrell, 30% cabernet sauvignon and 10% syrah. Vegan. Drink in 2022."

Vinous, Jan/2021

2018 -

"Glass-staining ruby. A highly aromatic bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, licorice, mocha and exotic spices, along with a floral nuance that builds in the glass. Sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering juicy blueberry, cherry-vanilla and violet pastille flavors that show impressive energy for their heft. Rich yet lively and precise, finishing with strong, spicy thrust, an emerging mineral quality and smooth, polished tannins."

Guía Peñin 2020

2017 -

Wine Spectator, Aug/2020

2017 -

Top 100 Wines of 2020 "This brawny red shows a savory character, with loamy earth, black tea and tobacco notes framing a rich core of currant and blackberry flavors. The muscular tannins are balanced by juicy acidity. Dense, balanced and expressive. Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Drink now through 2032. 2,500 cases made, 1,250 cases imported."

Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Sept/2020

2017 -

"The 2017 Juan Gil (blue label) was formerly known as 18 Months, which is the amount of time it matured in barrel. It is a blend of 60% Monastrell, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah fermented in stainless steel and matured in new barrels for 18 months. This is the wine from the portfolio where they keep 100% new oak and use French grapes to give it more of a voluptuous, ripe (15.5% alcohol) and generously oaked, somehow international profile. Ashy and with liqueur-like notes and plenty of dusty tannins, it's for fans of ripe, heady and oaky reds. There's a sweet sensation in the finish, notes of chocolate, cocoa powder and espresso coffee. 30,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2019."

Guía Peñin 2020

2016 -

James Suckling, Aug/2018

2016 -

"Lots of licorice and a hint of tar on the nose, the black fruit needing some time to emerge. Generous, supple tannins on the full-bodied palate, the finish fairly dry, but with some warmth from alcohol. A blend of monastrell, cabernet sauvignon and syrah. If this is your type of red, drink now."

Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Apr/2019

2016 -

"The 2016 Juan Gil (blue label) is the wine formerly known as 18 Months, which is the amount of time it matured in barrel, and it has been identified for the past few years by the color of its label. It's a blend of 60% Monastrell, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah, and the Monastrell is from older vines than the other varieties. It fermented in stainless steel and matured in new barrels for 18 months. This is the one wine from the portfolio where they keep 100% oak and use French grapes, which is not the Juan Gil style—this has more of an international profile. This is very spicy and smoky, with plenty of toasty and roasted aromas. The palate reveals abundant tannins and oak-related flavors, a faint bitterness and a dry finish. This is for those who enjoy this profile of wine, not really my style. But within that profile, it's quite good. 30,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2018.

The Gil family from Jumilla have built a brand new winery that has 100% renewable energy, and all the waste is reused (water goes to humus, etc.). All of their vineyards are organically farmed even though they don't have a full certification in order to avoid bureaucracy. 2017 was a Mediterranean year in the style of 2015, and 2018 was cooler, more in the style of 2016, both very challenging harvests."

Wine Spectator, Aug/2019

2016 -

"Licorice and espresso notes frame black cherry and currant flavors in this thick, polished red. The muscular tannins are well-integrated, and there's just enough acidity to keep this lively. Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Drink now through 2028. 2,500 cases made, 1,250 cases imported."

Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, Dec/2017

2015 -

"The wine formerly known as 18 Months, as it matured in barrel for that amount of time, has been identified for the past few years by the color of its label, blue in this case, of which I tasted the 2015 Juan Gil (blue label). The blend is the same: 60% Monastrell, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah, and the fermentation and élevage similar: separate grapes by variety in stainless steel for two weeks with neutral yeasts and malolactic followed by the 18 months in barrel. It's the only one of the five reds that I found oaky, as the oak has been reduced in all the range; the aromas of the American wood used in part of the Monastrell is quite noticeable. Even here they have gradually been reducing the toast of the barrels and are slowly introducing second and third use barrels trying to respect the fruit. They are not sure what they are going to achieve in terms of aging potential if they reduce the oak further. In any case, this is still very young and will need more time in bottle to better integrate the oak, but it will always remain a generously oaked red, for those that are tolerant and enjoy the smoky, spicy and oaky aromas and flavors. It has notes of roasted coffee, dark chocolate, tobacco leaves and sweet spices, with that sensation of sweetness even if the wine is dry or there's less fruit. Having said that, the oakiness is noticeable when tasted with the Juan Gil range, but when I compared it with the Clio and El Nico, it seemed a lot more integrated, so it's all relative. It seems like the vintage could develop nicely in bottle. 36,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2017."

Wine Spectator, Feb/2019

2015 -

“This red has density and polish, in the modern style. Cocoa and spice flavors mingle with blackberry and currant fruit, backed by well-integrated tannins and balsamic acidity. Plush and harmonious. Drink now through 2025. 2,500 cases made, 1,250 cases imported."

James Suckling, Dec/2016

2014 -

"Deep and ripe nose showing ripe strawberries, cherries and blackberries with black ink and floral undertones. Full to medium body and slightly firm and chewy tannins. Lightly jammy on the finish. Drink now."

Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Jun/2016

2013 -

"Similarly, the wine matured in oak barrel for 18 months and formerly labeled as '18 Meses' is now simply 2013 Juan Gil (blue label). As in he past, this is a blend of Monastrell, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah that fermented separately with malolactic in brand new barrels, where the wine then matured until bottling. This still keeps the older profile of very oaky wine, with plenty of spices, smoke, even incense and cigar ash aromas; it has some hints of chocolate and espresso coffee, and all things oak related. The palate is quite full-bodied with plenty of dusty tannins ending quite dry. This feels still too oaky and I think it would need more time in bottle to try to absorb it. In any case, this is a red for fans of generously-oaked wines. 36,000 bottles produced."

James Suckling, Jul/2017

2015 -

"A rugged and swarthy style with boldly expressed dark berry fruits. Strapping, punchy tannins and a sweetly-fruited, mocha-laced finish. Drink now."

Gismondi on Wine, Jan/2018

2015 -

"The Juan Gil 'Blue Label' is a 60/30/10 mix of monastrell, cabernet-sauvignon and syrah that spends 18 months in French and American oak barrels. The monastrell vines are very old and grown at 700 meters altitude. The colour is opaque, the nose a mix of toasted oak (too much really) with earthy, lead pencil, spicy black fruits and chocolate flavours. The finish is long and smooth with balsamic notes. New World Spain. This will need time to settle into itself. If you must open it now, think grilled beef, duck, pork or meaty/mushroom pasta dishes."