"The Ultreia “St. Jacques” bottling from Raúl Pérez is one of my favorite wines from him, as these vines were planted between 1900 and 1940. The vineyard is a classic, Mencía-dominated field blend, with the 2018 version including eighty percent whole clusters and aged in a combination of various old oak casks and vats, as well as some cement tanks. The wine offers up a pure and complex nose of dark berries, pomegranate, tree bark, woodsmoke, a beautiful base of dark soil tones, a dollop of sweet stem botanicals and just a touch of cigar ash in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and displays outstanding mid-palate depth, with a fine foundation of soil tones, ripe, buried tannins, lovely focus and grip and a long, complex and impeccably balanced finish. This is simply outstanding young Bierzo."
|
