Wine Advisor
Raul Perez, Ultreia La Claudina 2017
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
The nose of the 2017 Ultreia La Claudina changed tremendously in the glass. It started off with more oxidative notes and became fresher with time, gaining notes of lemon curd and curry (it always develops a veil of flor yeasts), nuanced and with a complex palate where the flavors are integrated with the acidity and give it length and freshness. The difference with vintages prior to 2016 is that, because there was less wine, it was not possible to age it in the oak foudre; instead, it matured in 700-liter oak barrels. It comes from a plot of sandy soils that delivers wines of finesse and freshness. There are some 1,600 bottles.
About the Producer
Raúl Perez is a leading Spanish winemaker, operating his own label and acting as a consultant to other companies. He is most closely associated with the Bierzo region and the Mencia grape variety, but has projects in other parts of Spain. Over 20 different wines are made under his own name, though mostly in tiny quantities. Some of these have also appeared under the banner of the Compañía de Vinos del Atlántico partnership. Other collaborations include the Encinas Bierzo Mencia made with the Graillot family of Crozes-Hermitage. In addition his family has owned Castro Ventosa in Bierzo since its foundation in 1752. He has helped make the wine there since his teenage years. With his wife, under the Raúl Perez & Noelia de Paz name, he makes La Tentacion, a rare Spanish Pinot Noir from a tiny plot in Bierzo. The wine is fermented in whole bunches in open top fermenters and aged for 12 months in oak. The Bierzo wines under the Ultreia banner – mostly reds based on Mencia – form the core of his personal portfolio. Ultreia means "onwards!" in medieval latin; the brand pays tribute to pilgrims en route through the region to Santiago de Compostela. The Ultreia wines broadly follow the Burgundy model of classification. Ultreia Saint Jacques is the village level release, aged in a mix of oak and cement tanks. Several single vineyard cuvées are released at higher prices and in tiny quantities. Of these, Ultreia de Valtuille is the best known. It is made from 100 year old vines from a plot to the west of Perez' home town of Valtuille de Abajo. It is matured in French oak barriques for around 15 months. A white wine from Godello also forms part of this series. La del Vivo is another Godello wine. This comes under the La Vizcaína project, which is based on the best hillside vineyards around Valtuille de Abajo. It is partly fermented and aged in amphorae. The Rara Avis Mencia is a rare single-variety Albarin. Despite its name, this white variety is distinct from Albariño. Perez does also make Rias Baixas wine from the latter variety.
