Raul Perez Ultreia Cova de la Raposa, Bierzo, Spain

勞爾·佩雷斯酒莊科瓦拉泊薩紅葡萄酒

點擊次數：4441

Again, the cooler 2021 seems to have worked nicely for the 2021 Ultreia Cova de la Raposa, which compensates for the warmer place. Despite the moderate alcohol, 13.1%, the aromatic expression is quite ripe, and there are toasty notes redolent of roasted sunflower seeds. It's from a small plot with southeast exposure that only produces enough wine for a 500-liter oak barrel. It has abundant tannins and toasted notes that make a comeback in the finish. It needs powerful food to tame the tannins. 600 bottles produced.

I found very ripe aromas in the 2020 Ultreia Cova de la Raposa and notes of ink and licorice and a touch of cured meat and smoke. This is very round and lush, from a warm zone with sandy soils, south-facing and with a tendency to ripen early. It's creamy and spherical. There was only one 500-liter oak barrel of this, so some 600 bottles. This was not produced in 2019.

Cool vintages in warm zones seem to work, and it shows in the 2018 Ultreia Cova de la Raposa, which was not produced in 2017 because of the frost. There is only a 500-liter oak barrel, and the wine feels quite fine for the warmer exposure. The sandy soils produce stress in this vineyard, but in a rainier year like 2018, they are an advantage. This feels harmonious, with black rather than red fruit and some dusty tannins, a little more rustic and on the Rh?ne side more than Burgundy. There are 600 bottles of this. It was bottled in December 2019.

Always riper and heady, the 2014 Ultreia Cova de la Raposa has a more Mediterranean profile, with plenty of aromatic herbs (thyme, rosemary) and a floral twist over a core of ripe black fruit. It has plenty of tannins, and it needs a little more time and/or powerful food. There was only one barrel of this, so no more than 300 bottles exist.

The warm vineyard of the 2013 Ultreia Cova de la Raposa shows quite well in a cool vintage like 2013; the wine shows contained ripeness, and the flowers and spices are combined with some earthy notes. It feels less fruit-forward than in other years. It feels quite mineral, earthy, with some fine, dusty tannins that provide character. Elegant within the rusticity, and the character of the wine. There's only one barrel of this wine, so it's truly academic, as it's going to be difficult to trace one of the 300 bottles produced.