Ultreia, Petra, Bierzo, 2021

One of the mythical Ultreia crus, “Petra is direct and crisp, with a different profile to the other wines. A warm plot in a cool sub-region– a lovely combination.” So says Raúl Pérez. Petra comes from a 0.3HA plot planted between 1925 and 1930 on the high, cool Ponferrada side of the Bierzo zone where the soils are slate-rich, in a subzone called Valdecanada. It is only bottled in exceptional vintages. In fact, 2021 may well be the last Ultreia bottling of Petra, as the plan is to incorporate it in to the newly created Valdecanada range, at a higher price point to reflect the labour that goes in to working the site. Situated at 825m with a southerly orientation, it is very windy, often requiring longer in barrel to round out the tighter tannins. The 2021 bursts forth with a wash of lacy, perfumed red fruit, crunchy but highly refined tannins intertwined with minerality and spice. It shows a sweet and beautifully elegant bramble character, enhanced by background notes of wild herbs, graphite and fresh berries as it opens up. Just two barriques produced, around 600 bottles.