Description
A subtle step up in the range, this is a wine that presents a bit more polish/finesse, both from its more selective source, as well as having been aged in used oak barrels rather than in stainless steel like the Joven; it sees the beginning of whole cluster inclusion, some 20%. I am unfamiliar with it, as it is a new wine to the range starting in 2017, when it was sourced from just 5 plots in Valtuille : la Poulosa, El Olivar, El Val, La Rata, and Las Gundiñas. It is approximately 85% Mencia, 10% Alicante Bouchet (and other coplanted native varieties), and 5% coplanted whites. Continuing the theme that will run throughout the range, the value quotient here is plain silly…..
“The white label 2019 Castro Ventosa Valtuille (do not confuse it with the pink label that is sold in the local market, León and Bierzo) is a young blend of six or seven different zones from the village. It fermented with 10% to 15% in stainless steel and oak foudre and matured in well-seasoned barrels (mostly 225-liter but with some larger ones) for one year. It’s floral, perfumed and very clean; they have renewed all of the barrels (which are at least fourth use), and the wine feels more precise and clean. 6,000 bottles produced.” 92 Luis Gutierrez
