Ultreia de Valtuille, Bierzo, 2019

Produced from 120 year-old vines in the Las Villegas vineyard. The site is essentially one contiguous bank separated in to 7 different plots with different expositions. Raúl’s main plot is in the higher east-southeast facing part of the vineyard at 530-575m elevation, which is better exposed to cooling northern breezes, as well as a small parcel of more northerly facing vines, bringing his total ownership to 2HA of the 6HA in total. Las Villegas was the first vineyard replanted after phylloxera, and it produces deeply complex, salty stony wines with immense fragrancy and concentration. Sandy soil atop very hard bedrock. “2019 is a rare Ultreia de Valtuille as the cooler facing plots really came in to their own. Normally I would blend around 70/30 south to north but the beautiful 6x75cl £195.00 2019 2019 tobacco leaf and almost Cabernet Franc-esque profile of the northern side was amazing so I swapped it around to 60/40 north south. From 2020 I have bought smaller fermentation vessels for Ultreia de Valtuille so that I can get even more granular on the micro-plots”. Darker and spicier than the 2018, the 2019 is incredibly long and vibrant, with a leafy, herbal quality, and polished, high quality tannins that frame this more structured, ageworthy Bierzo. More intense and serious than the magical 2018, but also perhaps more complex, it is simply a must-have wine for any Raul Perez fan.