Winemaker

Víctor Del Villar

Discipline: Winemaker
Venue: Castillo de Monjardin · Winery

Portrait of Víctor Del Villar

i. Biography

In Villamayor de Monjardín, Navarra, Spain, the work starts in the vineyard: altitude, a singular microclimate, and the ground itself set the terms long before a cork is drawn. At Castillo de Monjardín, Víctor Del Villar is Winemaker Director, and the job is one of translation—carrying terroir through controlled fermentations and barrel aging without flattening what the site already gives. The balance is between inherited practice and newer cellar technique, with the vineyard’s character kept intact rather than pushed aside.

The Estate

That choice fixed the house direction: preserve what is there, while leaving room for refinement. Del Villar puts the point plainly: "The 'terroir' has a primordial importance, since the earth marks the personality and quality of our wines." In that frame, the land is not backdrop; it is the working material. Altitude and microclimate are treated as defining conditions, not marketing language. Del Villar has said it directly: "It is precisely the unique microclimate of our area and the altitude at which we are located that make us different." The distinction comes from place itself—elevation, weather, and the way those variables shape each harvest.

In the Cellar

The cellar work at Castillo de Monjardín is disciplined without being rigid. Tradition remains in the process, but it is used as a base for adjustment rather than a fixed script. The result is a winemaking approach that leaves room for technique to develop while keeping faith with the raw material. Del Villar frames the purpose in terms of quality, table use, and origin: "Our goal is to achieve high quality wines, which complement Mediterranean cuisine and represent the land of our vineyards." That places the wines in direct relation to food and to the vineyard source, asking each bottle to function both at the table and as a marker of place.

The Bottlings

The Castillo Monjardín 2020 Chardonnay Reserva Navarra shows how time is used as a shaping tool. In this case, the wine is described as a rich, oak-aged Chardonnay with integrated hazelnut notes. Set alongside the other 2020 Chardonnay reference, it shows how the same grape is handled with a clear sense of line and emphasis in Navarra, with each bottling carrying the variety in a distinct register. Rosé is approached with the same intent in the Castillo Monjardín 2023 Rosado de Lágrima Navarra. It is one of the rare wines for which the winery sets aside vineyard parcels specifically for rosé, making the category a deliberate vineyard choice rather than an afterthought.

Signature

Víctor's signature wines include Castillo Monjardín 2020 Espumoso Brut Nature Gran Reserva, Castillo Monjardín 2020 Chardonnay Reserva Navarra, and Castillo Monjardín 2024 Chardonnay Navarra.

In Their Words “Our goal is to achieve high quality wines, which complement Mediterranean cuisine and represent the land of our vineyards.” “With base in tradition, we have always characterized ourselves by innovating and developing new techniques of elaboration.”

FAQ What is Víctor Del Villar's current role? As of 2026, Víctor Del Villar is Winemaker Director. What is Víctor Del Villar known for? Chardonnay wines.