La Clave 2021

The creativity and wisdom of winemaker Raúl Pérez knows no limits. Wine after wine, this oenologist and vine-grower from El Bierzo, a wine-producing region in north-west Spain, has shown us the full potential of Spanish vines. Grapes are collected from vineyards in the calcareous clay soils of Valtuille in this region to produce the La Clave wine. This land is full of character and in the right hands, its grapes and wines delight wine-lovers and swiftly become benchmark wines. The majority of grapes used are hand-harvested Mencia (90%). These are partially separated from the stems and fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks and 5,000-litre oak barrels. Maceration is carried out with regular punch-downs (pigéage) for a month to extract all the qualities of the crispy grape skins. Following 12 months ageing in used French oak barrels, La Clave offers us a wonderful purple colour of medium intensity, with a lush nose unusual in a wine in this price range. It exudes plentiful aromas, from bay leaves and ash, to cool notes of minerals, violets, or fresh red fruit. On decanting, fine notes of smoke or sandy dust appear. Shy to start with, this wine soon becomes austere and deep, thanks to its rough tannins and fine acidity. Although it has a small amount of Syrah and Tempranillo grapes, La Clave is a clear example of what a Mencia wine is; smoky, fresh, and complex, with a good mineral background and fruit which stands well through its ageing. It has an after-taste of malt and peat reminding us of dark beer, with fine but slight hints of wood.