2021 Raúl Pérez Ultreia Rapolao

Raúl Pérez is without a doubt the most medial winemaker in all of Spain at the moment. However, his wines are almost impossible to find! Everyone talks about it, but few have tasted it yet. Raúl is present in numerous appellations and regions, not only in Spain, but also in South Africa, Portugal, South America. The common thread in his work is the recovery of vieilles vignes from native grape varieties and the making of authentic wines with lots of character and personality. Or to put it in his own words: 'I'd rather make an undrinkably bad Galician wine, but at least let it be a Galician wine.' He has already vinified dozens of wines in countless different regions (usually in the northwest of Spain, and beyond), but these have never been marketed. He tests, he tries, and often fails. This way of working naturally gives him a lot of experience, which will later enable him to get the most out of one grape variety or one region.

Today he makes or helps make more than 80 wines. Finally, he has recently more or less settled down by renovating two mini-bodegas of his own: one in the Tierra de León region, in the village of Valdevimbre, and another in his native region of Bierzo, where he has his business in the village of Salas de los Barrios. own Ultreia's, the absolute essence of Mencía. Raúl always works as purely as possible. He uses the minimum amount of SO2.

In all the wines Raúl makes, he works with as little intervention as possible. For the red, entire bunches are used and vinified in old barrels. Nothing is added or corrected. The wine is then aged, again in old barrels and also under flor (so the barrels are not refilled). This flor gives the wine natural protection against oxidation during elevage and avoids the addition of sulfites. This flor is naturally present in the Ultreia cellars and Raúl uses it for both his white and red wines!

The Raul Pérez Ultreia Rapolao matured exclusively in a 1,000 liter oak foudre previously used for a white wine. The grapes come from a higher part of the Rapolao vineyard, and we taste that in this almost Burgundian style of Mencia. Small red and black fruits give the impression of a cooler climate, together with the typical green spiciness of Mencia. This beautiful Mencia from Perez is full of roasted and spicy notes. It has good ripeness and a moderate alcohol content (13%). Medium bodied, elegant with a soft mouthfeel and oak flavors in the aftertaste. 1,200 bottles of this Ultreia Rapaola were produced. Our regular customers know that we are a big fan of the wines from this region made from Mencia (or white Godello) such as the wines from Perez and, for example , Val de Sil . The continental influences and style give the wines a Burgundian signature and produce wines with an incredible price-quality ratio!

FACT: The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you pick up the wine you will also receive a nice discount. We are almost next to the Rijksweg with plenty of parking. Click here for address