Ultreia La Cova de la Raposa 2018
£42.73 (Inc. VAT bot. 75 cl.) / Spain
Bodegas y Viñedos Raúl Pérez
Bierzo
Available in 1 days
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Cool vintages in warm zones seem to work, and it shows in the 2018 Ultreia Cova de la Raposa, which was not produced in 2017 because of the frost. There is only a 500-liter oak barrel, and the wine feels quite fine for the warmer exposure. The sandy soils produce stress in this vineyard, but in a rainier year like 2018, they are an advantage. This feels harmonious, with black rather than red fruit and some dusty tannins, a little more rustic and on the Rhône side more than Burgundy. There are 600 bottles of this. It was bottled in December 2019.
Features
Type of wine
Pairings
Style
Occasions
Winery
Size
Country
Region
Appellation
Alcohol
13.5%
Grapes
Serving
Between 16ºC and 18ºC
Winemaking
Aged for 10 months in French oak barrels.
Description
On the steep, mystical slopes of Valtuille de Abajo, where the vines seem to cling to the slatey Bierzo soil, one of Raúl Pérez's most enigmatic and personal wines is born: Valtuille La Cova de la Raposa, a blend composed mostly of Mencía (85%), complemented by Alicante Bouschet (10%) and a small contribution of other local varieties (5%). Raúl, considered by many as one of the most brilliant and visionary minds in contemporary Spanish wine, has made Bierzo a laboratory of sensitivity and risk. This wine, however, goes one step further: it is born from a single tiny plot -LaCova de la Raposa-facing west, where the Mencía ripens under a more oblique light, with time, without haste.
The story behind this wine is almost clandestine. For years, Raúl vinified the plot in silence, without labels, as an intimate experiment. The complexity of its soils - a mix of red clay with veins of decomposed slate -and its peculiar, cooler microclimate had always intrigued him. "There's something different here," he said. And he was right. The expression of the Mencía del Bierzo in this plot borders on the spiritual: it is neither fruit nor soil, but a combination of both.
This area of Bierzo, with its old vines (more than 80 years old), cultivated without chemical intervention and with traditional methods, expresses a radical typicity. In someone else's hands it could be a gentle wine. In the hands of Raúl Pérez, it is a declaration of intent: wine as naked truth, without ornamentation.
Winemaking
The vinification of Valtuille La Cova de la Raposa is artisanal in the purest sense. The grapes are harvested by hand, in small boxes, looking for the exact point of ripeness without excesses. In the winery, Raúl works as if he were listening to the wine: minimal intervention, maceration with whole bunches in open vats, gentle crushing and spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts.
The wine is then transferred to used French oak barrels, where it is aged for 12 to 14 months. No unnecessary racking, clarification or filtration. Here, wood is just a whisper, a means, not an end. Bottling is carried out with a minimum dose of sulphur, respecting the life of the wine, which continues to evolve in the bottle like a living organism.
Taste
The nose of Valtuille La Cova de la Raposa is a dance between the threshold and the tangible. First appear earthy notes, of damp soil and warm stone after the rain. Then, slowly, a silent symphony unfolds: wild blackberry, dried hibiscus, cold smoke, a touch of aged leather and the hint of a Mediterranean herb, perhaps lavender or thyme in flower.
On the palate, Valtuille La Cova de la Raposa does not enter, it insinuates itself. It is pure nerve. Vertical, sharp, without fat or embellishment. The fruit -black, austere- intertwines with a vibrant, electric acidity, which drags a fierce, almost saline minerality. It tenses the palate, takes it to the limit, and then releases it in a very long, almost spiritual finish. There is something of alchemy in this sensation of lightness and depth at the same time.
Valtuille La Cova de la Raposa is not a wine for everyone. It is for those who enjoy meaningful silences, for those who know that beauty can also be severe. Like a melody played in the shadows, it lets itself be heard if one is patient. And then, it reveals all.
Shipping to Peninsular Spain
FREE shipping on orders over £172.65 or for 18 bottles or more in 6-bottle multiples (24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54 and 60 bottles)Estimated transit time: 2-3 working days.
| Bottles | Price | Over £172.65 |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 | £5.96 | £0.00 (-£5.96) |
| 7-12 | £5.96 | £0.00 (-£5.96) |
| 13-17 | £11.14 | £0.00 (-£11.14) |
| 18 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 19-23 | £13.73 | £0.00 (-£13.73) |
| 24 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 25-29 | £17.09 | £0.00 (-£17.09) |
| 30 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 31-35 | £19.77 | £0.00 (-£19.77) |
| 36 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 37-41 | £23.22 | £0.00 (-£23.22) |
| 42 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 43-47 | £24.95 | £0.00 (-£24.95) |
| 48 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 49-53 | £29.26 | £0.00 (-£29.26) |
| 54 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 55-59 | £30.99 | £0.00 (-£30.99) |
| 60 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| VAT included | ||
