Verónica Ortega Cáreo 2023
£45.68 (Inc. VAT bot. 75 cl.) / North Ireland
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The other new red is the 2023 Cáreo, which is a different story from the A Bruxa. It comes from a very old vineyard planted with Mencía, Palomino, Doña Blanca and a little Godello, an ancient, centenary 0.9-hectare plot, where the Mencía has thinner skins, and the tannins are also finer. This is from the same zone as the white Tormenta in San Juan de la Mata, technically a village wine from Arganza, one of the few places in Bierzo that has limestone soils. Part (80%) of the wine fermented in a troncoconic oak vat with 100% full clusters and the rest was destemmed and fermented in bins, then the wine matured in separate 300-liter barrels for 11 months, after which, it was blended and put in amphorae, where it rested for another four months. This has a very focused violet note, also peachy, with a fine texture, with the mouthfeel from the limestone soils. It comes in at 12.9% alcohol with a pH of 5.4. I cannot make up my mind if I prefer this or the new A Bruxa... In any case, these are two superb additions to the portfolio, completing the high end in a stunning vintage. Bravo!! 2,755 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2025.
Features
Type of wine
Pairings
Style
Occasions
Winery
Size
Country
Region
Appellation
Alcohol
13.0%
Grapes
Serving
Between 16ºC and 18ºC
Winemaking
Fermented in truncated cone-shaped oak vats with whole clusters (80%) and the rest (20%) in vats with de-stemmed grapes. Aged for 11 months in 300 litre oak barrels.
Description
Verónica Ortega is not looking for concessions, but for authenticity. In 2023 Verónica Ortega Cáreo presents her new "vino de paraje", made from a hundred-year-old vineyard planted in 1917 in San Juan de la Mata, in the north of Bierzo. It is just 0.9 hectares at an altitude of 650 metres above sea level, on limestone soil - a rarity in the region - which gives the wine its unmistakable character. Mencía, Palomino, Godello and Doña Blanca coexist there , red and white varieties that are harvested and fermented together, as in the old days. This decision not to separate, to honour the original voice of the vineyard, marks Verónica's philosophy: minimum intervention, maximum expression of the place.
Winemaking
Verónica Ortega Cáreo 's winemaking process respects the natural rhythm of the grapes. Eighty percent of the bunches are fermented whole in a large 3,400 litre truncated cone-shaped vat, the rest is destemmed and worked separately. Fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeasts, and the white and red varieties macerate together for almost six weeks. The wine then spends 11 months in 300 L French oak barrels, and is finally refined for 4 months in 800 L amphorae, seeking texture, transparency and depth.
Taste
Verónica Ortega Cáreo is a wine that does not need to raise its voice. On the nose, dried violets, crunchy red fruit, a delicate note of peach and an undertone of wet stone. The palate is subtle and vibrant, with sharp acidity and a chalky feel reminiscent of the soils in which it was born. The tannins are very fine, just a whisper supporting the structure. Notes of pomegranate, dried herbs and a slight touch of citrus give way to a long, saline finish of austere elegance. A wine for those who value mineral silence more than the cry of fruit. Fresh, cerebral, with the soul of a Altura wine and Burgundian precision.
Shipping to North Ireland
50% discount on orders over £352.23Estimated transit time: 4-5 working days.
| Bottles | Price | Over £352.23 |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 | £11.36 | £5.68 (-£5.68) |
| 7-12 | £15.41 | £7.71 (-£7.71) |
| 13-18 | £21.57 | £10.79 (-£10.79) |
| 19-24 | £29.50 | £14.75 (-£14.75) |
| 25-30 | £34.25 | £17.13 (-£17.13) |
| 31-36 | £38.31 | £19.15 (-£19.15) |
| 37-42 | £46.23 | £23.12 (-£23.12) |
| 43-48 | £50.63 | £25.32 (-£25.32) |
| 49-54 | £57.19 | £28.60 (-£28.60) |
| 55-60 | £61.46 | £30.73 (-£30.73) |
| VAT included | ||
