Ultreia, Godello, Bierzo 2021 Raúl Pérez

"2020 was a very good year for whites, and they harvested very early. The 2020 Ultreia Godello shows restraint and very low pH (3.2!) with high acidity (6.6 to 6.8). None of the whites go through malolactic, and this is the freshest vintage of this wine so far. This is now made with mostly own grapes from Cacabelos and Ponferrada (in 2022 they will own around 80% of the vineyards used for this wine), matured in a mixture of barriques, oak foudres and some concrete. It's super tasty, mineral and finishes dry. There are some 30,000 bottles of this wine. Drink 2022-2026."
93/100 Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate, January 2022


"The enigma that is Raúl Pérez continues to enthral wine lovers the world-over with his own-brand of inspiring, light touch winemaking. Having almost single-handedly put Bierzo on the map, Raúl’s guru-like status (and appearance!) has inspired a whole new generation of dynamic winemakers across the entirety of Spain."

"As new vineyards come in to production the main white of the project is now produced from majority estate fruit, mostly from the eastern part of the Bierzo zone, on schist and clay soils, from vines averaging 30-35 years old. Harvest here takes place a full 20 days later than in Valtuille, yielding grapes with high natural acidity and only 11-12% potential alcohol, which provides excellent blending material. 25% is sourced from Cacabelos on deeper clay-stony soils, and the final 25% from Valtuille where the vineyards have a higher percentage of sand in the soils. All plots are fermented in oak tank and assembled just before bottling.
Aging takes place in barrels of various sizes and ages. The 2020 has a really good freshness and bright, zingy personality – moreish but with plenty going on, it is always on the youthful citrus, white fruit and flowers."