Ultreia Saint Jacques 2023

Ultreia Saint Jacques is made by Raúl Pérez in D.O. Bierzo, a winemaker widely held as one of the region's finest and known locally as the master of Mencía. The wine is pure Mencía, the native grape of this corner of Castilla y León, where vineyards sit on a mix of slate and clay over a transitional climate between Atlantic and continental. That setting brings cooler, wetter influence than central Spain, which keeps acidity fresh and the fruit lifted, while the slate adds a graphite mineral edge. The wine is aged 14 months in used French oak barrels, where the spent wood allows slow oxygen exchange to soften tannin and add structure without layering on heavy new-oak vanilla, keeping the focus on the fruit and the soil. The colour is a bright cherry red, the nose leads with fresh red berries, cherry and plum over earth, black pepper and a touch of smoke, and the palate is medium-bodied, fresh and savoury, with fine tannin and a mineral finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees. It suits roast meats, game and mushroom dishes.