José António García Bierzo "Valtuille" '19

Bierzo has adopted a new quality-based classification system for its wines, closely following the Burgundian structure of regional, village, and single-vineyard wines. In the Vino de Villa classification system, 100% of the grapes must come from vineyards within the village of Valtuille, and yields are more than 20% below the limit for D.O. Bierzo. Their flagship Valtuille Vino de Villa is from low-yielding vines in the village of Valtuille de Abajo, highlighting the virtues of JAG’s oldest bush-trained vineyards from their home village with mixed alluvial and clay soils with a wide variety of stones planted at 550m altitude. It is produced from co-fermented mencía and 15% white grapes (doña blanca, palomino, and godello) from different old vineyards selected for high quality.

Following a manual harvest, 35% of the bunches are destemmed, while 65% are retained as whole clusters. The wine is then spontaneously co-fermented with indigenous yeast in large, open-top foudres for 40 days with manual punchdowns twice a day. No temperature control. No pumps are used at the winery, with gentle racking done by gravity. Malolactic fermentation is spontaneous. Aging is on fine lees in new and old French oak barrels (300L and 500L) for 11 months. The Valtuille Vino de Villa showcases the juicy red fruit character of the wines from Valtuille. It has generous fruits, silky tannins, and a dry, savory finish that makes it excel in food pairings.