What makes this wine unique?

A single-vineyard wine made from a 1.1-hectare (3 acre) plot planted in 1908. 315 cases are made for the world. The vineyard is located at 527 meters (1,731 ft.) elevation and organic viticulture is used. Compared by The Wine Advocate’s Jay Miller to a great vintage of legendary Grand Cru Burgundy Romanée Conti. Since 2005, Ultreia de Valtuille is one of only three red wines in the world under $85.00 to receive 99 points.

Rating history:

Grape:

100% Mencía, from a vineyard planted in 1908.

Pairing Suggestions:

With very complex mineral, spicy, crushed red fruit and forest floor aromas, this wine has an incredible, velvety palate presence that is pure and intense. Similar to a mature Grand Cru Burgundy or First Growth Bordeaux, pair this wine with the finest cuisine constructed of simple but constructed layers of flavor like oven-roasted duck, medallions of venison, grass-fed or Kobe beef steak, or simply prepared, pan-fried merluza (hake). The wild red berry profile of this wine should pair extremely well with wild mushroom varieties like chanterelle, hen-of-the-woods, chestnut, oyster, enoki, hedgehog and morels.

Vinification and ageing:

Whole clusters with stems undergo a pre-fermentation“cold soak” maceration and fermentation. The skins and stems are macerated with the wine for 90 days! The wine is usually pressed off during the month of December. This method showcases silky smooth tannins on the mid-palate while preventing the harsh, bitter, green seed tannins from being released, since the grape remains encapsulated longer. Fermentation and post fermentation maceration are carried out in large, 1,500-liter French oak foudre. Stirring of the lees (batonnage) is practiced while the wine is aged for 12 months to enrich the wine’s texture.

Production:

315 4-pack cases are made; 15 for the U.S.

Location, Soil, Climate:

The vineyards are located within Zone 1. El Bierzo, sometimes called ‘the gateway to Galicia,’ is enclosed on both sides by mountains. The Valtuille vineyard is located in the town of Valtuille de Abajo at 530 meters (1,739 ft.) elevation. The soil is sandy with small river stones. This soil type is poor in nutrients, which naturally reduces the vigor and yields of the vines. As a result, the grapes produced are small, and full of concentrated and expressive aromas and flavors. For climate, the area’s average temperature from April-October is 61.42°F. A yearly average rainfall of 28 in. makes this one of the driest and warmest wine regions in northwestern Spain.

Tasting notes:

The complex aromatics leap from the glass; on the palate the wine is dense, rich, and velvety, and it gives true meaning to the expression “iron fist in a velvet glove.”

A glass-coating opaque purple color, it has an amazingly sublime, otherworldly perfume like, dare I say it, Romanée-Conti (from a great vintage). Round, velvety, and remarkably graceful on the palate, it has the structure and balance to make old bones. This awesome effort can be enjoyed now and over the next 40 years. Notes by Jay Miller of The Wine Advocate.

Alcohol Content:

13.5%

UPC Code:

8437008409566