2023 Raúl Pérez Ultreia Rapolao

Raúl Pérez is without a doubt the most mediatized winemaker in all of Spain at the moment. However, his wines are almost impossible to find! Everyone talks about them, but few have tasted them. Raúl is present in countless 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 of indigenous grape varieties and the making of authentic wines with a lot of character and personality. Or to put it in his own words: 'I prefer to 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 (mostly in the northwest of Spain, and also beyond), but which have never been marketed. He tests, he tries, and also fails very often. This way of working naturally gives him a great deal of experience, which later enables 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 also recently settled down by growing two mini bodegas of his own: one in the Tierra de León region, in the village of Valdevimbre, and another in his native Bierzo, where he makes his own Ultreias, the absolute essence of Mencía, in the village of Salas de los Barrios. Raúl always works as purely as possible. He uses the minimum amount of SO2.

In all the wines that Raúl makes, he works with as little intervention as possible. For the reds, whole 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 (the barrels are not topped up). This flor gives the wine a natural protection against oxidation during the ageing and avoids the addition of sulphites. 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 that was 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 fruit 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 a good ripeness and a moderate alcohol percentage (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 the white Godello) such as the wines of Perez and for example Val de Sil . The continental influences and the style give the wines a Burgundian signature and gives wines with an incredible price-quality ratio!

FACT: The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to 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