Ultreia Mencía 2022

Ultreia is the personal project of Raúl Pérez, the León-born oenologist who helped redefine Bierzo during his time at Castro Ventosa. This is a varietal Mencía, the region's signature grape, made in a traditional, expressive style. Bierzo sits in a sheltered basin in north-west Spain, where Atlantic and continental influences meet and the vines grow on slate and schist soils that drain freely and lend the wines a mineral, savoury quality. Mencía ripens to medium weight here, keeping fresh acidity and floral aromatics rather than heavy extraction. The wine spends twelve months in French oak, enough to settle the tannins through gentle oxygen exchange without masking the fruit. The colour is a dark, vivid red. The nose shows wild red berries and cherry with a floral, rose-like lift, a peppery, herbal edge and an earthy, forest-floor note that reflects the slate. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and finely textured, with red fruit, fine tannins and a stony finish. Serve at 15 to 17 degrees, in a wide glass. It works beautifully with roast duck and game.