The Bierzo region of Northwestern Spain quietly teems with winemaking life. There's ample press fawning over its distinctive wines, which come from some of the most talented winemakers in Spain, but it's still under the popular radar. Tucked between the bulk of Spain's sunnier, semi-arid landscape and the cooler, wetter Atlantic coast, unique grape varieties thrive here. The old vineyards are dominated by Godello for whites and Mencia for reds, though the old tradition of mixed plantings means other varieties still mingle. Among Spain's greatest whites, Bierzo Godellos are typically rounded, with a juicy, softly mineral acidity tucked into its fruit, and ripe tones across the spectrum of fresh orchard fruits like citrus, pear/apple, and peach/apricot. Mencia-driven wines from Bierzo share features of French Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Pinot Noir: velvet-textured tannin with lightly peppery, mineral sensations, and spicy, floral aromas accompanying the juicy dark and red fruits, like brambly blackberry and fresh macerated cherry.
One of the great protagonists of this region is Raul Perez, whose family comes from Valtuille, a temperate area of gently rolling hills in the heart of Bierzo, which is itself surrounded by mountain foothills and dramatically cut valleys. For Mr. Perez, the best expression of the region is "more Burgundy than Bordeaux." By harvesting according to acidity levels and including whole clusters in the fermentations, Raul achieves his particular preference for the reds: medium-bodied and vibrantly juicy on the palate, along with a savory, herbaceous spice counterpoint to the soft, fresh fruit-and-floral tones that come easily for the Mencia variety here. His whites are understatedly complex, with nutty and savory sensations balancing the fruity.
Mr. Perez's winemaking philosophy is at the same time traditional and innovative: he practices organic farming, allows fermentation to start naturally and proceed leisurely, and makes use of lengthy skin macerations. Depending on the wine, aging takes place in a mix of concrete, clay vessels, and mostly older French oak barrels. Raul also minimizes the use of sulfites, a risky choice in winemaking, but for him it's a requirement. The wines are neither filtered nor fined.
A flagship bottling for Raul, this comes from the clay soils of a plot called Las Villegas. Made to be a concentrated and complex expression of his mid-weight style, it's more rounded, denser in flavor, and imbued with a touch more French oak influence and softly chewy tannins.
WINE ADVOCATE 97 POINTS - "The 2021 Ultreia Valtuille was produced with the clay part of their Villegas plot, as the sandy part was used for the new Ultreia Villegas bottling but introduced the lower part of the vineyard with more soil and more clay. They produced more or less the same amount as in previous years, some 18 barriques; but in 2021, they introduced foudres for part of the wine, and in this first year, the foudre was newer (they used it to ferment a white before). They also started renewing their barrels, so the wines show a little more oak than usual. It has moderate alcohol and mellow acidity, and it seems like the longer cycle and the slow ripening burned some acidity." Try 2025-2035.
One of the great protagonists of this region is Raul Perez, whose family comes from Valtuille, a temperate area of gently rolling hills in the heart of Bierzo, which is itself surrounded by mountain foothills and dramatically cut valleys. For Mr. Perez, the best expression of the region is "more Burgundy than Bordeaux." By harvesting according to acidity levels and including whole clusters in the fermentations, Raul achieves his particular preference for the reds: medium-bodied and vibrantly juicy on the palate, along with a savory, herbaceous spice counterpoint to the soft, fresh fruit-and-floral tones that come easily for the Mencia variety here. His whites are understatedly complex, with nutty and savory sensations balancing the fruity.
Mr. Perez's winemaking philosophy is at the same time traditional and innovative: he practices organic farming, allows fermentation to start naturally and proceed leisurely, and makes use of lengthy skin macerations. Depending on the wine, aging takes place in a mix of concrete, clay vessels, and mostly older French oak barrels. Raul also minimizes the use of sulfites, a risky choice in winemaking, but for him it's a requirement. The wines are neither filtered nor fined.
A flagship bottling for Raul, this comes from the clay soils of a plot called Las Villegas. Made to be a concentrated and complex expression of his mid-weight style, it's more rounded, denser in flavor, and imbued with a touch more French oak influence and softly chewy tannins.
WINE ADVOCATE 97 POINTS - "The 2021 Ultreia Valtuille was produced with the clay part of their Villegas plot, as the sandy part was used for the new Ultreia Villegas bottling but introduced the lower part of the vineyard with more soil and more clay. They produced more or less the same amount as in previous years, some 18 barriques; but in 2021, they introduced foudres for part of the wine, and in this first year, the foudre was newer (they used it to ferment a white before). They also started renewing their barrels, so the wines show a little more oak than usual. It has moderate alcohol and mellow acidity, and it seems like the longer cycle and the slow ripening burned some acidity." Try 2025-2035.
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