Valtuille de Abajo Vino de Villa 2023

Valtuille de Abajo Vino de Villa comes from Vinos Valtuille, a García Alba family project in the D.O. Bierzo that turned away from selling grapes in bulk to make its own wine. The estate works twelve hectares spread over more than a hundred plots, each with its own soil, altitude and orientation, which lets the winery blend for balance across a single village bottling. Bierzo sits in a sheltered basin in north-west Castilla y León, where slate and clay soils and a mild, slightly Atlantic climate suit Mencía, a variety that keeps freshness and aromatic lift when yields are kept honest. The wine spends five months in French oak, a short ageing that settles the tannins and adds a little spice without covering the fruit. Expect a bright ruby colour, a nose of raspberry and red cherry with floral and mineral hints, and a medium-bodied palate carried by fresh acidity and fine, gentle tannin. The finish is clean and savoury with a slatey grip. Serve at 15 to 16 degrees, and decant briefly if you like. It works well with roast pork, charcuterie and mushroom dishes.