$17.99 on 6 or more, code: 6saves2

91+ pts Wine Advocate
The young 2022 El Castro de Valtuille Mencía Joven is a regional red from over 300 plots of old vines that fermented destemmed in stainless steel and matured in oak foudres for three months. It's juicy, fruit-driven, very primary and approachable—the character of the year—with notes of berries and herbs, spicy and tasty, with an austere palate. 2022 was a very dry and warm year when they had to harvest very quickly and the alcohol levels are moderate. It rained some 30 liters just before the harvest, which saved the harvest and made the wines a lot less warm than expected. Yields were good, nearly as good as 2021. Some 125,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2023.

The family project from Raúl Pérez is, like many in Bierzo, focuses on site-specific wines from village, lieu-dit or paraje and single vineyard. They are developing more of those for the future in their village of Valtuille, where they have 85 of their 86 hectares of vineyards; the other one is a Godello vineyard in the village of Cabañas Raras. Since 2021, the single-vineyard white is already labeled as Valtuille "El Val" (vino de paraje) with the idea to take it to the top of the hierarchy, as it is a single plot from one of the coldest areas of the town. They produce between 200,000 and 300,000 bottles, depending on the vintage.

Made from hand-harvested Mencía grapes from young vines, which are vinified in stainless steel and bottled unfined and unfiltered. This is a very pure and authentic expression of the variety, with tart fruit, a touch of smoke, and a very mineral-driven finish. Deliciously drinkable and exceptional value to boot.

Castro Ventosa is a historic Bierzo winery, founded by the famed Perez family in 1752. Raul Perez (pictured above left) is one of the icons of modern Spain. His contemporaries and critics regard him as one of the country's great innovators, putting Bierzo on the map as a source of exceptional wine.

He broke away from Castro Ventosa in the mid-00s and appointed his nephew César Márquez (pictured above right) at the helm. Raul still works very closely with César on the project. Still, as César's star has rocketed into the stratosphere (Luis Gutiérrez has widely praised his own eponymous wines in recent vintages) Castro Ventosa's wines have become an expert blend of these two talented winemakers' styles.