This is serious and has abundant fine-grained tannins, and it keeps the personality of the slate soils with contained ripeness
Luis Gutiérrez
2022 Paixar, Paraje a Serra, Bodegas Luna Beberide
£160 per 6 bottle case in bond
When I first tasted the 2021 Paixar from Bodegas Luna Beberide, I was stunned. Without a doubt, it was a great showing from a little-known producer in Bierzo. I urged clients to take note as this was one of the real surprises of last year. I am pleased to say it went on to be a very well followed offer, that sold out quickly, and I have already received comments from clients who had been itching to open a bottle and have now done so.
I have just tasted the 2022 and can confirm it is a great follow up – make that two great vintages out of two from Luna Beberide.
Spain continues to draw my attention – I sense a much more dynamic Spanish wine industry than before. There are more producers exploring vineyards at altitude, reducing their use of oak and adopting a completely different approach to extraction, meaning the tannins are more gently expressed. I bore the whole team here talking about the benefits of vines grown at altitude and the greater transparency the resultant wines show.
Nothing has changed, Bierzo is certainly a region I need to explore more…This region, to the northwest of the province of Léon, lies to the north of Portugal – it is a 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. 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, hints of spice, sometimes a little herbal, leafiness too. It carries its weight well on account of the brightness of the acidity that is inherent in the variety, but it is a distinct variety.
The Paixar wines come from the Dragonte zone of Corullón. They are 100% Mencia from 80 to 100-year-old vines and a vineyard that faces full south. It lies at 700-900 metres and is steeply sloping with soils of decomposed slate/ shale. The wine is aged for 16 months in a combination of large oak foudres and 500l French oak barriques. No new oak is employed. It comes from the Luna Beberide estate which was founded in 1988 and now resides with the second generation, Alejandro Luna Beberide. Today, he has over 50 hectares of vineyards at his disposal, devoted to Mencia and Godello. The Paixar Dragonte is made from fruit grown in several different old plots across their holding.
As mentioned before, Alejandro’s aim is to respect the terroir and therefore his winemaking style is one of minimal intervention – and it continues to show in the resultant wines….
I love the aromatic freshness of his wines, the 2022 reveals a scented set of aromatics, which capture blueberry, blackberry and even blackcurrant as if all these fruits had been harvested right on the cusp of ripeness. There is a freshly crushed, macerated summer fruits character on show here and it is captivating, enlivened as it is by hints of spice and a slatey mineral note. With just a little air, the fruit comes to the fore on the palate – soft layers of superbly juicy berry fruit. A wine with great transparency – unhampered by oak. This is distinctly more-ish on account of its sense of poise. Vibrant, pure and so expressive this will be another joy to drink with even minimal cellarage but could be held for 5-7 years to see how it progresses. A great follow up to the 2021.
If you bought the 2021, taste it. This is an estate to follow….and if, as one client of mine recently commented, you have never tasted an impressive Bierzo and have found yourself paying up for the chance, you owe it to yourself to try this incredibly affordable example. And yes, it really is only £160 per 6-bottle case in bond, and no, I haven't become too carried away!
I have included Luis Gutiérrez’s note and score below, but I personally would rate it higher. I think a little time in bottle is benefitting this wine hugely.
2022 Paixar, Paraje a Serra, Bodegas Luna Beberide
£160 per 6 bottle case in bond
95 points. Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com
There are two Paixar bottlings from Corullón now: the regular Paixar produced since the turn of the century is now the 2022 Paixar Paraje A Serra from that lieu-dit or "paraje" in the village of Dragonte, and they are also bottling one plot separately. This is serious and has abundant fine-grained tannins, and it keeps the personality of the slate soils with contained ripeness and 13.5% alcohol on the label. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and matured in 500-liter French oak barrels for 12 months. It is tasty and textured. 12,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2024. Drink 2025-3032
