Valtuille La Cueva de La Raposa 2020/2021Valtuille La Cueva de La Raposa 2020/2021

Valtuille La Cueva de La Raposa 2020 (also known as La Cova de la Raposa) is a single-plot (Cru) red made by the renowned Castro Ventosa winery in Bierzo, Spain. Made mainly from Mencía, it comes from a tiny 0.2-hectare plot with sandy soils, giving an elegant, flowing profile.

The Wine AdvocateRP 94+Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

The perfumed 2020 Valtuille La Cova de la Raposa has a bright ruby colour and an outgoing profile; it's juicy, round, very tasty, harmonious and balanced, with good ripeness, moderate alcohol (13.3%) and very fine tannins. It fermented with 40% whole bunches and indigenous yeasts, with 40 days of maceration, and aged in two 500-litre oak barrels for 12 months. 1,100 bottles were filled in December 2021.

Raúl Pérez's family project, like many in Bierzo, focuses on wines from specific terroirs — village, lieu-dit or paraje — and single vineyards. They're developing more wines of this kind for the future in their village of Valtuille, where they have 85 of their 86 hectares of vineyards; the other is a Godello vineyard in the village of Cabañas Raras. Since 2021 the single-vineyard white has been labelled Valtuille “El Val” (vino de paraje), with the idea of taking it to the top of the hierarchy, as it's a unique plot in one of the coolest parts of the village. They make between 200,000 and 300,000 bottles, depending on the vintage.

After a very dry 2020, 2021 was a cooler year, with more rain and even snow; the whites show excellent freshness and the reds elegance and finesse. It may be the finest vintage in recent times, comparable to 2018.

Published: 10 August 2023

The Wine AdvocateRP 95Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

The 2021 Valtuille La Cova de la Raposa comes from the lieu-dit that gives the wine its name, with sand-rich soils, which they have vinified separately since 2003. This south-facing vineyard is the first to be picked, as its orientation and the fact that the old vines produce only two or three bunches each make them ripen earlier. Native fermentation was used with 40% whole bunches and 40 days of maceration. The wine matured in two 500-litre oak barrels for 12 months.

It has moderate alcohol (12.43%) and balanced ripeness, with an elegant texture and very fine tannins. It's a warm site that performed very well in the cooler 2021 vintage. The sandy soils are a little more compact, and this wine is more closed than the 2020, which is more open. 1,200 bottles were filled in March 2023.