Crazy loon offers two wines from Spain's Bierzo in a month - a 'jaw-droppingly good' Castro Ventosa

2020 Castro Ventosa, Valtuille, Cepas Centenarias

A stunning wine by any definition and an ‘other worldly’ Bierzo and all at 13.5 degrees alcohol

2020 Castro Ventosa, Valtuille, Cepas Centenarias

£215 per 6 bottle case in bond

 

What kind of crazy loon offers two wines from Bierzo, a not widely understood region of north-western Spain, in relatively quick succession in one of the quietest months of the year? I guess that’s me, then!

 

Why am I offering yet another? Well, these wines are really starting to grab my attention, and this example of Castro Ventosa is frankly, jaw-droppingly good. You may have gathered that my interest in Spanish wine is effectively focused on outlying regions, those at altitude and those with a cooler profile to the resultant wines.  It still strikes me as amazing that a wine from northern Spain may register significantly lower alcohol than a red Burgundy in the same vintage. However, climate changes mean that is the world we live in. I am equally fascinated by the evolution of winemaking styles across Spain – there are so many attentive growers and skilled winemakers that are embracing change and adapting the way they produce their wines to ensure balance, freshness and that they are true to their origins and express their terroir. I can only encourage more of our clients to wake up to the quality of the wines from Spain.

 

Bierzo fascinates me and I am only just getting a handle on it. It lies to the northwest in the province of Léon, just to the north of Portugal – it represents the halfway point between Castilla and Galicia. It is a mountainous region that consists of many small valleys in Alto Bierzo and a rather flatter plain in Bajo Bierzo. Bierzo is something of a half-way house, matching the Atlantic influence of Galicia with the more continental climate of Castilla y Leon. Unsurprisingly, it is old vines invariably planted on schistous soils on the hillside vineyards that deliver the most interesting, highest quality wines. The region boasts many established vineyards with old vines – with Mencia being the dominant variety, known as Jaen in Portugal. For a long time, Mencia was believed to be an old clone of Cabernet Franc, but this has been dispelled by DNA analysis. It is true to say that the variety expresses a similar array of characters, juicy berry fruit and hints of spice as well as a touch of leafiness. It carries its weight well on account of the brightness of the acidity that is inherent in the variety. Modern day examples are showing a refinement and clarity of fruit that imbues them with a juicy appeal, more akin to a young Pinot than a variety with any Cabernet association.

 

Castro Ventosa was founded by the Perez family back in 1752 and remains in their ownership. Today, much praised winemaker, César Márquez now runs the project with input from his uncle Raul Perez. Raul is regarded as one of the great innovative winemakers of modern Spain. His Mencia-based reds from Bierzo and Godello whites comfortably register as some of the finest examples from any Spanish region today. He is also noted for having one of the most impressive beards in the wine world! The winemaking style of the Perez family seeks to express the nature of individual vineyards within Bierzo. Attentive viticulture and sensitive winemaking are the key – low yields and use of larger oak vessels have captured greater expression of fruit, but also that juicy ‘picked on the cusp of full ripeness’ freshness that perhaps had previously been lacking in the majority of Bierzo; this freshness is critical to achieve this superior balance.

 

The vineyards of Castro Ventosa benefit from an outstanding location - with some planted around the ruins of an ancient Roman fort called ‘The Windy Castle’, literally Castro Ventosa. The soils are a mixture of quartzite and slate, though the ‘Cepas Centenarias’ offered here comes from a terroir with more sand and clay called ‘Mata Los Pardos’. As the name informs you, the vines are over 100 years of age, and incredibly low yielding. It faces east, which means it benefits from the morning sun, offering gradual exposure and some respite from the more intense afternoon sun. This allows more even ripening.  The vines yield just about four bunches per vine, so production is, unsurprisingly, very limited – just 4,000 bottles are produced each year.

2020 Castro Ventosa, Valtuille, Cepas Centenarias
2020 Castro Ventosa, Valtuille, Cepas Centenarias
£215 per 6 bottle case in bond
2020 Castro Ventosa, Valtuille, Cepas Centenarias

The 2020 Valtuille Cepas Centenarias, a wine from only one plot since 2018, showed extremely well in 2020, the finest in the vintage together with the La Vitoriana, almost as good as the amazing 2021. The Matalospardos zone of the village is where the soils mix sand and clay, and a corner of the plot delivered some 2,000 kilograms out of the 6,000 kilograms of grapes from the whole vineyard, which has a lot of white grapes and results in very good finesse in the wine. It matured in 225- and 500-liter oak barrels for 12 months. 3,800 bottles and 36 magnums were filled in January 2022. Drink 2023-2032

And my note from this morning:

Hard to believe this is the product of a dry vintage, the nose is so expressive, brambly fruit, blackberry and spiced raspberry with a violet floral lift as well as hints of savoury spice and something distinctly stoney/ slatey. On the palate, this just sings – juicy, fresh with that harvested on the cusp of full ripeness feel. It almost has a Pinot-like spectrum and mouthfeel at first before more spicey, slatey, darker berry fruit emerges to the finish. This is a Bierzo of rare finesse – the tannins are so beautifully expressed and barely intrude. There is a life-giving minerality here, which should come as no surprise given the vine age and location, that renders the palate so attractive, holding the taster’s attention from first to last. Peppery, slightly savoury, distinctly mineral nuances linger on a finish that refuses to fade. What a great wine – you could certainly broach this now and it would be no cardinal sin, but the balance suggests it will develop over a decade. A stunning wine by any definition and an ‘other worldly’ Bierzo and all at 13.5 degrees alcohol. Drink now to 2034.

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