Ultreia, Saint James's, Bierzo, 2020

A joint venture between Justerini & Brooks and Raul Perez, Ultreia Saint James’s is the product of the full and fluid 2020 vintage; a warm but balanced year producing wines of supple fruits, spice and ripe tannins. Aromatically, Saint James’s is all violets, cherries and wild blue fruits, before traces of smoke, iodine and schisty mineral notes develop with air. Further herbs, salt and red berries jostle for space on the palate amongst prominent but ripe tannins and beams of refreshing acidity. In keeping with the Pérez style, all the individual components were fermented with 100% whole bunches and raised in used 500L French oak barrels for 14 months. Though approachable now, the wine has all the material to develop handsomely over the next ten to fifteen years. A blend of 45% Cabanelas (Valtuille de Abajo) – a 2-ha east-facing site, on clay-sand soils, planted 1930; 23% La Vitoriana (Valtuille de Abajo) – a north-facing site at 600m elevation on poor, stony soils and planted in 1881 on original rootstocks. 23% Valdecanada villages – blend of three parcels in the schist-rich Valdecanada region at 750–850m and 9% El Cerro (Valdecanada) – a single vineyard field blend of mainly Mencía but with some Palomino and Bastardo (Trousseau) too. Raised in a two-year-old 500-litre barrel that was originally destined for the top Valdecanada project. A total of 900 bottles were produced.