Quinta Da Muradella, El Bastardo, 2016

Setting out in 1991 José started a life’s work to restore the viticultural traditions of this region which had been lost after the second world war, when farmers abandoned hillsides and the mountain areas in favour of the higher yielding valley floors and an easier life. Here in a transitional zone between an atlantic and continental climate summers are very hot followed by freezing cold winters. He works with no less than 15 different red and nine different white varieties, trialling different grapes in different locations in his vineyards with various kinds of soils: clay, gravel, slate, quartz and granite, looking for the perfect spot to bring out the best in each variety, and working with insanely low yields.