Ultreia de Valtuille, Bierzo, 2016

One might say that Ultreia de Valtuille is the flagship wine of Raul Perez – at least for now. Full bodied and couched in sweet spices, black plum and fresh herbs, it comes from one vineyard called Las Villegas on the border between Valtuille del Abajo and Villafranca del Bierzo. South to South East facing and planted in the early 1900s, it is a very special plot of sandy topsoil above hard bedrock. Recent re-plantings of individual vines has seen them suffer and struggle for growth such is the depth of limestone beneath the sand, imparting a perceptible stony quality to the hearty, tobacco driven plummy fruit. Predominantly Mencia with varying proportions of Bastardo, Garnacha Tintorera, Godello and Dona Blanca are co-fermented with 100% whole clusters in chestnut barrels and kept on the skins for 90 days, before aging for 1 year in neutral barrels of varying sizes. Just 3,000 bottles were produced from approximately 1 hectare of sparsely planted, low-yielding vines.