🇺🇸 Bassus Pinot Noir 2023 | Bodegas Hispano+Suizas

Pinot Noir from Valencia, and yes, it works. Bassus 2023 is the “I don’t do jammy reds” red: silk, spice, and just enough oak to behave.

Wine Description 

Bassus Pinot Noir 2023 is Bodegas Hispano+Suizas flexing in the DOP Utiel-Requena, a high-altitude zone better known for Bobal, where nights cool down and the fruit stays fresh instead of turning into compote. This is Spain doing Pinot with a little swagger: grown around 700 meters and built for people who like their reds elegant, not loud. 

Behind the bottle is winemaker and co-founder Pablo Ossorio, one of the three partners who launched Hispano+Suizas in 2006 with the goal of making seriously quality-focused wines in Requena. The Bassus Pinot Noir is vinified with a very deliberate touch, including fermentation in 400L barrels and aging in new French oak from Allier. 

Vine-to-Table: Meet the Winemaker 

Pablo Ossorio is the winemaker and co-founder of Bodegas Hispano+Suizas (founded in 2006 with Rafael Navarro and Vicente García), and he’s central to the house style: polished, modern, and obsessively clean. One detail worth knowing is that Bassus Pinot Noir is fermented in 400L barrels and then aged in new French Allier oak, which tells you exactly how intentional this project is. 

The Vibe 

Date night red without the heavy boots. It’s the bottle you open when you want something smooth and flattering, but still a little spicy and mysterious.

What it tastes like 

Red fruit and florals on the nose, then a silky, medium-bodied palate with gentle spice and oak that reads more “tailored blazer” than “lumberjack cabin.” It’s Pinot with structure, not Pinot cosplay. 

Pairing + When to drink it

Bring it to roast chicken, duck, pork tenderloin, grilled salmon, mushroom dishes, or a cheeseboard that’s feeling fancy. Drink now with a quick decant if you want the plush side, or hold a couple years if you like it more savory. (If you’re opening it on a random Tuesday, that’s called self-care.) 

Quick Specs 

• Producer: Bodegas Hispano+Suizas 

• Winemaker: Pablo Ossorio 

• Region/Appellation: DOP Utiel-Requena (Valencia, Spain) 

• Grapes: Pinot Noir (100%)

• Vintage: 2023 

• Winemaking/Aging: Cold maceration; fermentation in 400L barrels; aged in new French oak (Allier) 

• ABV: 14% 

• Bottle size: 750 ml 

FAQs 

Q: Why is Bassus Pinot Noir 2023 from DOP Utiel-Requena such a plot twist?
A: Utiel-Requena is famously tied to Bobal, but Pinot Noir is also authorized in the DOP’s official specifications, which is why this wine can exist without breaking the rules. The region’s inland, higher-elevation vineyards help keep acidity and freshness in check.

Q: What’s the actual vineyard profile behind Bassus Pinot Noir 2023?
A: This Pinot Noir comes from a vineyard planted in 2000, sitting around 700 meters in elevation, with limestone-clay soils. Translation: cooler nights, more tension, less “sweet red fruit smoothie.” 

Q: Is Bassus Pinot Noir really fermented in barrel, or is that marketing fluff?
A: It’s real: the technical sheet specifies fermentation in 400-liter barrels, which is a very different vibe than “tank wine with oak chips energy.” It’s part of why the texture reads polished and deliberate.

Q: What kind of oak does Bassus Pinot Noir use, exactly?
A: The wine is aged in new French oak from Allier, a detail the producer calls out in the tech sheet. Allier is prized for fine-grained oak that can add spice and structure without turning the wine into a vanilla candle. 

Q: Who founded Bodegas Hispano+Suizas, and why does that matter for Bassus?
A: The winery was founded in 2006 by three partners: Rafael Navarro, Pablo Ossorio, and Vicente García. Knowing that Ossorio is both co-founder and winemaker helps explain the “project wine” precision behind Bassus, not a random label in a big portfolio. 

Q: What’s the climate quirk that defines DOP Utiel-Requena wines?
A: The DOP describes a continental climate with Mediterranean influence, which often means warm days and cooler nights that preserve acidity. That day-night swing is exactly the kind of setup Pinot Noir needs to stay lifted instead of flat.