The Bierzo region of Northwestern Spain quietly teems with winemaking life. There's ample press fawning over its distinctive wines, which come from some of the most talented winemakers in Spain, but it's still under the popular radar. Tucked between the bulk of Spain's sunnier, semi-arid landscape and the cooler, wetter Atlantic coast, unique grape varieties thrive here. The old vineyards are dominated by Godello for whites and Mencia for reds, though the old tradition of mixed plantings means other varieties still mingle. Among Spain's greatest whites, Bierzo Godellos are typically rounded, with a juicy, softly mineral acidity tucked into its fruit, and ripe tones across the spectrum of fresh orchard fruits like citrus, pear/apple, and peach/apricot. Mencia-driven wines from Bierzo share features of French Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Pinot Noir: velvet-textured tannin with lightly peppery, mineral sensations, and spicy, floral aromas accompanying the juicy dark and red fruits, like brambly blackberry and fresh macerated cherry.
One of the great protagonists of this region is Raul Perez, whose family comes from Valtuille, a temperate area of gently rolling hills in the heart of Bierzo, which is itself surrounded by mountain foothills and dramatically cut valleys. For Mr. Perez, the best expression of the region is "more Burgundy than Bordeaux." By harvesting according to acidity levels and including whole clusters in the fermentations, Raul achieves his particular preference for the reds: medium-bodied and vibrantly juicy on the palate, along with a savory, herbaceous spice counterpoint to the soft, fresh fruit-and-floral tones that come easily for the Mencia variety here. His whites are understatedly complex, with nutty and savory sensations balancing the fruity.
Mr. Perez's winemaking philosophy is at the same time traditional and innovative: he practices organic farming, allows fermentation to start naturally and proceed leisurely, and makes use of lengthy skin macerations. Depending on the wine, aging takes place in a mix of concrete, clay vessels, and mostly older French oak barrels. Raul also minimizes the use of sulfites, a risky choice in winemaking, but for him it's a requirement. The wines are neither filtered nor fined.
The Petra bottling comes from a tiny plot planted higher up in the steep, slate-covered hills that surround the lower-lying heart of Bierzo. This bottling shows the greatest tension between power and finesse in our lineup: layers of aromatic fruit and a stony, mineral undercurrent. It's a truly distinctive and very limited wine in Raul's lineup!
WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - "The nose of the 2021 Ultreia Petra is completely different from the rest of the Ultreia range. This is only two barriques, despite the fact that he bought all the land in the cru; but some of the vines are in the process of being recovered, and some were replanted and not yet in production. So, he has all of the vineyard (around 0.7 or 0.8 hectares), and it is all surrounded by forest—there are no adjacent vineyards. This has a different character because of the slate soils, with it's earthy sensation but the very elegant tannins. It's a rare combination of power and elegance, with abundant but fine-grained tannins and along aftertaste, quite open and expressive."
One of the great protagonists of this region is Raul Perez, whose family comes from Valtuille, a temperate area of gently rolling hills in the heart of Bierzo, which is itself surrounded by mountain foothills and dramatically cut valleys. For Mr. Perez, the best expression of the region is "more Burgundy than Bordeaux." By harvesting according to acidity levels and including whole clusters in the fermentations, Raul achieves his particular preference for the reds: medium-bodied and vibrantly juicy on the palate, along with a savory, herbaceous spice counterpoint to the soft, fresh fruit-and-floral tones that come easily for the Mencia variety here. His whites are understatedly complex, with nutty and savory sensations balancing the fruity.
Mr. Perez's winemaking philosophy is at the same time traditional and innovative: he practices organic farming, allows fermentation to start naturally and proceed leisurely, and makes use of lengthy skin macerations. Depending on the wine, aging takes place in a mix of concrete, clay vessels, and mostly older French oak barrels. Raul also minimizes the use of sulfites, a risky choice in winemaking, but for him it's a requirement. The wines are neither filtered nor fined.
The Petra bottling comes from a tiny plot planted higher up in the steep, slate-covered hills that surround the lower-lying heart of Bierzo. This bottling shows the greatest tension between power and finesse in our lineup: layers of aromatic fruit and a stony, mineral undercurrent. It's a truly distinctive and very limited wine in Raul's lineup!
WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - "The nose of the 2021 Ultreia Petra is completely different from the rest of the Ultreia range. This is only two barriques, despite the fact that he bought all the land in the cru; but some of the vines are in the process of being recovered, and some were replanted and not yet in production. So, he has all of the vineyard (around 0.7 or 0.8 hectares), and it is all surrounded by forest—there are no adjacent vineyards. This has a different character because of the slate soils, with it's earthy sensation but the very elegant tannins. It's a rare combination of power and elegance, with abundant but fine-grained tannins and along aftertaste, quite open and expressive."
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