2018 Castro Ventosa – Raúl Pérez “El Castro De Valtuille” Mencia Joven, Valtuille de Abajo, Bierzo D.O., Spain.
The El Castro de Valtuille Mencia Joven, by Raúl Pérez and his family’s historic Castro Ventosa, is a dark fruited and savory pure expression of this grape and the Bierzo region with briar spiced blackberry, tangy currant, cherry and cranberry fruits on the medium bodied palate, which is nicely accented by bay leaf, loamy earth, wild sage, anise, a hint of cedar and grilled orange. This Castro Ventosa – Raúl Pérez Mencia Joven, which is made to be drunk fresh and young comes from hand-harvested Mencia grapes sourced from young vines in the village of Valtuille de Abajo, which are then vinified naturally in stainless steel and aged a short time in vats, or a touch of old neutral wood cask. Half of all the grapes grown in the Bierzo are Mencia, and it is the most regal of the indigenous varietals, but interestingly enough the an equal percentage of white and red grapes here, with Godello leading the whites. The 2018 vintage of this Raúl Pérez “El Castro De Valtuille” Mencia Joven is still drinking very nicely, though I would suggest getting the latest release of this particular wine and enjoy the fruit intensity at its freshest point, and always with food for best results.
The Castro Ventosa winery is situated in the village of Valtuille de Abajo, at the foot of the slope of the Castro, the ruin of an ancient Roman fort that dominates the village, and has been in the Pérez family since its founding back in 1752. Castro Ventosa, which means “The Windy Castle” has become a cult favorite, especially with Raúl Pérez, the godfather of Mencia and the grand master of the Bierzo, overseeing the wines here, from ancient pre-phyloxera vineyards that are set on the sandy calcarious soils of the Birezo. The historic region of Bierzo is in a small valley surrounded by mountains, making for an exceptional terroir with a unique micro-climate that allows the Mencia grape to achieve its full potential and greatness, with a fuller body than those of the Ribeira Sacra. Mencia, was once thought to be a long lost relative of Cabernet Franc, is native to the Bierzo and is the main red grape and the Pérez family owns about 75 hectares of Mencia, making them one of the largest farmers of this varietal within the Bierzo region, if not the number one. Raúl Pérez, to do his own label, which I’m more familiar with and his consulting, stepped away from Castro Ventosa day to day and appointed his nephew César Márquez as the winemaker, and he’s now become almost as famous as his uncle! The “El Castro De Valtuille” Bierzo Mencia is a terrific value on release and I highly recommend checking out the latest stuff, especially the old vine bottlings.
($18 Est.) 90 Points, grapelive