Bodegas RAUL PEREZ - Ultreia Saint Jacques 2018
Raúl Perez is a leading Spanish winemaker, operating his own label and acting as a consultant to other companies. In the 1990s, Raúl Perez sets foot in the Faculty of Oenology. Since 1996, 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. 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 Bierzo wines under the Ultreia banner 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. Raúl Pérez takes nature very seriously. His priority is to exert the minimum influence on the grape.
The Ultreia Saint Jacques is made from vines of Mencia located in the village of Valtuille de Abajo. It is elaborated with the whole stalk, and is fermented in open oak vats between 2 and 5 months. The ageing takes place in 225-litre foudres and cement.
Grape variety: 100% Mencia