El Castro de Valtuille Mencía Joven 2023

Castro de Valtuille Mencía Joven is the newcomer at Bodegas Castro Ventosa, a traditionally-run winery owned by the Pérez family and located in Valtuille de Abajo. After the departure of Raúl Pérez, the pioneering oenologist of the Bierzo region, there have been no major changes at the winery. Yet it is unquestionably true that Raúl Pérez left a definite stamp on the bodega, endowing the wines with their Burgundy style and thereby creating absolute treasures. This remarkable Mencía comes as a surprise because, although it claims to be joven on the label, we are perfectly well aware that it is a blend of young Mencía and Castro de Valtuille Mencía, aged in oak; this is where not just its complexity comes from, but also its primary aromas. If this wine were to be tasted blind, then it would be full of surprises, revealing as it does such complexity with a host of nuances that result in the creation of a very fine wine of excellent quality.