Description
This bottling is a perennial value hound favorite, one of the single greatest and consistent value plays in the world of wine in my experience. It is responsible for my familiarity with Castro Ventosa and Bierzo in general, as I have sold OCEANS of this wine in my former retail life; my enthusiasms for it were shared by just about any and everyone who got turned on to it. A completely destemmed blend of 85% Mencia that is 85+ years old, with a smattering of Alicante Bouchet and miscellaneous coplanted white varieties comprising the balance, this wine delivers naked old vine Mencia substance and appetizing freshness at a price that is simply ridiculous for a wine of this caliber. I believe that it was awarded 90-91 points by Josh Raynolds of Vinous for some ten years +…..If an everyday swiss-army-knife medium bodied red wine sounds like something that is useful to you, get a few cases of this and thank me later. À la Collestefano Verdicchio, this is simply an insane value hound’s delight of a wine that should be an annual purchase by the caseload.
“The 2018 El Castro de Valtuille Mencía Joven was produced from seven or eight parajes from the village of Valtuille, a selection from the family vineyards that is given a few months in the 5,000-liter oak vats that help polish it, and the resulting wine is more relaxed. This is a Mencía that overdelivers for its price, especially in a year like 2018. It’s medium-bodied, nuanced, floral and more subtle than the unoaked Castro Ventosa (pink label), with fine tannins and a serious finish. This is a bargain, an old-vine cuvée at an incredible price. 100,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2019.” 91+ Luis Gutierrez
