Single Vineyard Raul Perez Almost All Sold Out!
We are nearly sold out of Spain’s rockstar Raul Perez’s single vineyard wines! These are stunning and will go for years to come so grab some bottle before they are gone!
Raúl Pérez Pereira is universally considered to be one of the world’s most visionary winemakers. Since he produced his first vintage for his family’s winery in 1994 at the age 22, he has been in the forefront of the conversation about what has been called “The New Spain”. In 2005, he left his family business to strike out on his own, creating Bodegas y Viñedos Raúl Pérez, which quickly became the point of reference for the Bierzo appellation.
His heart and his home will always be in Valtuille de Abajo, the village in Bierzo where his family has been tending vines for well over 300 years.
In addition to numerous other accolades, Raúl was named “Winemaker of the Year” by German publication Der Feinschmecker in 2014 and “Best Winemaker in the World” for 2015 by the French publication Bettane+Desseauve. In the February 2018 Decanter, Master of Wine Pedro Ballesteros wrote, “Raúl Pérez is the archetype of the intuitive winemaking genius.” A picture of Raúl in that same article is captioned, “Is this the best winemaker in the world?” Raúl would certainly not self-apply any of these superlatives. In fact, his genius is far exceeded by his humility and generosity of spirit. That humility comes through in his wines. These are not “winemaker” wines so much as they are unadulterated expressions of the villages and vineyards from which they hail.
100% Godello sourced from 20-50 year-old vines on clay and alluvial soils in Valtuille de Abajo and Cacabelos. Hand-harvested slightly early for maximum freshness and then fermented and raised for about a year in used 225L barriques and 2500L foudres. No malolactic fermentation to maintain fruit precision and then bottled unfired and unfiltered. RP 93
100% Godello sourced from 20-50 year-old vines on clay and alluvial soils in Valtuille de Abajo and Cacabelos. Hand-harvested slightly early for maximum freshness and then fermented and raised for about a year in used 225L barriques and 2500L foudres. No malolactic fermentation to maintain fruit precision and then bottled unfired and unfiltered. RP 93
The white 2022 La Vizcaína La del Vivo comes from vines they own, all fermented without temperature control and never racked. It has a serious and austere nose that makes me think of a cooler year. There is good ripeness, and the wine achieved 13.5% alcohol but has very good freshness and acidity. It has notes of white flowers, fruit, spices and herbs and is complex, nuanced and elegant. It has a chalky palate with very fresh and clean flavours. RP 95
The 2022 Ultreia Rapolao matured exclusively in foudre. They have also lowered the maceration time in this wine, and the lighter grape and the lighter vinification seem to have compensated for the additional concentration of the warm year. The foudres had been used for whites before, so the wood is still a little new and seems to have given the wine a faint creamy texture and nose. The nose is clean, and they have avoided the reduction that happened in some previous vintages. It's juicy and medium to full-bodied, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins. RP 95
Floral, spicy aromas with hints of underbrush. Juicy, well-structured red fruit with great vibrancy and length on the palate. A long finish is marked by hints of herbs, coffee bean, and tomato leaf. Mencia with Bastardo and Alicante Bouschet. RP 94
Floral, spicy aromas with hints of underbrush. Juicy, well-structured red fruit with great vibrancy and length on the palate. A long finish is marked by hints of herbs, coffee bean, and tomato leaf. Mencia with Bastardo and Alicante Bouschet. RP 94
This is floral, expressive, fresh and balanced, with incredible elegance. There's a lot of precision here, they picked on exactly the right date, removed the white grapes, and the wine matured in barrique for five months and then in 1,000-liter oak foudre. The fine tannins show the finesse of the sandy soils. It's even a notch above the already other worldly 2018. Possibly the finest Ultreia Valtuille. 12.7% alcohol. 3,200 bottles produced. RP 98+
This is floral, expressive, fresh and balanced, with incredible elegance. There's a lot of precision here, they picked on exactly the right date, removed the white grapes, and the wine matured in barrique for five months and then in 1,000-liter oak foudre. The fine tannins show the finesse of the sandy soils. It's even a notch above the already other worldly 2018. Possibly the finest Ultreia Valtuille. 12.7% alcohol. 3,200 bottles produced. RP 98+
Red wine Aged in wood. 12 months in French oak barrels used. La Clave 2021 unfolds a spectrum of aromas with prominent notes of ripe black fruits such as blackberries and raspberries, interwoven with floral hints and a delicate interplay of spices reminiscent of pepper and vanilla.
There is a hint of creaminess to the El Rapalao, perhaps because one of the three barrels used was a little newer. Mencía is so delicate and finicky that a small detail like that is noticeable in the finished wine. The grape is also very sensitive to the picking date. The texture is finely tannic and with an herbal touch. 1,500 bottles. RP 96
There is a hint of creaminess to the El Rapalao, perhaps because one of the three barrels used was a little newer. Mencía is so delicate and finicky that a small detail like that is noticeable in the finished wine. The grape is also very sensitive to the picking date. The texture is finely tannic and with an herbal touch. 1,500 bottles. RP 96
La Vizcaína Las Gundiñas has a new plot, a west-facing vineyard that is steeper and cooler. Pérez likes Gundiñas and Rapolao in warmer years like this. In 2020, 50% of the wine matured in 2,000-liter oak foudre and the other half in used 500-liter barrels. It was harvested much earlier, and the wine shows more freshness even if it shows more tannin today. He likes long macerations (40 to 45 days) and works toward having tannins and weight in his wines. Some 6,000 bottles. RP 95+
La Vizcaína Las Gundiñas has a new plot, a west-facing vineyard that is steeper and cooler. Pérez likes Gundiñas and Rapolao in warmer years like this. In 2020, 50% of the wine matured in 2,000-liter oak foudre and the other half in used 500-liter barrels. It was harvested much earlier, and the wine shows more freshness even if it shows more tannin today. He likes long macerations (40 to 45 days) and works toward having tannins and weight in his wines. Some 6,000 bottles. RP 95+
La Vizcaína La Poulosa reflects the new approach to harvesting the grapes earlier and has a contained 13.5% alcohol. The wine is fresher and more vibrant, with less extraction and softer. This is a very challenging and ripe vineyard, and achieving a wine like this is a real triumph. Some 9,000 bottles were produced. RP 94+
La Vizcaína La Poulosa reflects the new approach to harvesting the grapes earlier and has a contained 13.5% alcohol. The wine is fresher and more vibrant, with less extraction and softer. This is a very challenging and ripe vineyard, and achieving a wine like this is a real triumph. Some 9,000 bottles were produced. RP 94+
La Vizcaína La Vitoriana matured mostly in a troncoconic oak foudre and had a very short time in barrel. This wine has more Alicante Bouschet in the blend than others, and they didn't include the white grapes in the vineyard. But against all logic, the wine has more finesse than the 2019. 6,000 bottles produced. RP 97
La Vizcaína La Vitoriana matured mostly in a troncoconic oak foudre and had a very short time in barrel. This wine has more Alicante Bouschet in the blend than others, and they didn't include the white grapes in the vineyard. But against all logic, the wine has more finesse than the 2019. 6,000 bottles produced. RP 97
Kolor is much more than a wine, it is an experience born from the joint work of wine maker Raul Perez and the contemporary artist Okuda San Miguel with a with a very clear objective: to thrill.
Kolor is a red wine produced with Mencia grapes from vineyards that are over 50 years old, located in the heart of the Bierzo region, in the village of Valtuille de Abajo, an area with clay soils. Whole bunch fermentation takes place in large oak vats. Maceration lasts between two to five months, with subsequent ageing in oak barrels and cement for another 12 months. Kolor is bottled without fining or filtration.
Kolor is much more than a wine, it is an experience born from the joint work of wine maker Raul Perez and the contemporary artist Okuda San Miguel with a with a very clear objective: to thrill.
Kolor is a red wine produced with Mencia grapes from vineyards that are over 50 years old, located in the heart of the Bierzo region, in the village of Valtuille de Abajo, an area with clay soils. Whole bunch fermentation takes place in large oak vats. Maceration lasts between two to five months, with subsequent ageing in oak barrels and cement for another 12 months. Kolor is bottled without fining or filtration.
The 2022 Ultreia La Claudina is more subtle and elegant. It comes from a vintage when the vines delivered very healthy grapes and a larger crop. They had to wait to harvest the grapes because the higher yield meant the plants had problems to ripen all the fruit. The palate is elegant and fresh, with clean flavors and precision. 2,300 bottles produced. Godello. RP 95