La Muria by Raúl Pérez: the vineyard that conquered 100 Parker points
La Muria: the vineyard where Raúl Pérez found his most personal work
Those who followed the second chapter of El Mago del Vino discovered that behind Raúl Pérez's most emblematic wine there is not only a great plot. There is a story of patience, respect for the landscape, and a way of understanding viticulture that moves away from any fleeting trend.
La Muria is much more than a cult wine. It is the result of years of work in one of the most unique areas of El Bierzo and the project that ultimately led the Bierzo winemaker to achieve the coveted 100 Parker points with the 2021 and 2023 vintages.
What does "La Muria" really mean?
One of the most interesting moments in the documentary explains the origin of the name itself.
In the mountainous areas of Bierzo, a muria is the large pile of stones that farmers formed generation after generation as they cleared their plots to be able to cultivate them.
Each stone removed from the ground ended up forming these natural walls that are now part of the traditional Bierzo landscape.
The name of the wine is not accidental. It precisely represents that relationship between man and land, the effort accumulated over decades and the respect for a landscape slowly built by those who worked these vineyards long before great prestigious wines existed.
The plot that changed Raúl Pérez's history
In the second chapter of El Mago del Vino there is a particularly revealing moment. Raúl Pérez does not talk about La Muria as a wine, but as a place. Because, for him, everything begins in the vineyard.
La Muria is born in a plot located in Viariz, a small village in the municipality of Corullón, in the heart of Bierzo Alto. It is a mountain vineyard, surrounded by forests and located on steep slopes, where mechanization is practically impossible. Here, each vine is worked by hand, respecting the rhythm set by nature itself.
Before becoming part of Raúl Pérez's project, the plot had been cultivated by Álvaro Palacios, one of the great names in Spanish viticulture. Over time, Raúl took on the challenge of continuing the work started in this exceptional vineyard, convinced that its authentic value lay in preserving its identity and letting the landscape speak through the wine.
In the documentary, it can be seen how La Muria represents a way of understanding viticulture far removed from conventional production. There is no attempt to correct the vineyard or impose a style from the winery. On the contrary, every decision aims to respect the character of the plot so that each vintage faithfully reflects the conditions of the place.
This philosophy, based on patience, artisanal work, and utmost respect for the vineyard, has made La Muria one of Raúl Pérez's most personal works and one of the most admired wines in Bierzo.
An extreme vineyard
La Muria is not an easy estate.
The plot reaches approximately 1,045 meters of altitude, making it one of the highest vineyards in El Bierzo. Its steep slopes make almost any mechanization impossible, so much of the work continues to be done manually and with the help of horses, as shown in the documentary.
The old Mencía vines grow on slate and granite soils with a thin layer of organic soil. Yields are extremely low and each harvest requires enormous precision.
A wine born without haste
During the documentary, it is clear that Raúl Pérez never sought to create a commercially spectacular wine.
His goal was much more complex: to make a wine capable of expressing the character of the place without artifice.
La Muria is produced only when the vintage meets the necessary conditions. It is made with whole clusters and with minimal intervention in the winery to preserve the vineyard's identity, always maintaining elegance and freshness as the project's hallmarks.
A few hundred bottles
La Muria belongs to that small group of wines that are practically impossible to find.
Production is only around 700–800 bottles, depending on the harvest, which explains its enormous demand among collectors and enthusiasts worldwide.
The documentary shows how the first barrel was tasted at the Mesón Don Nacho, a very special moment for Raúl Pérez before officially presenting the wine.
The 100 points that changed a career
After more than twenty-five years making some of the most admired wines on the international scene, Raúl Pérez achieved with La Muria the recognition he had been pursuing for decades.
The 2021 vintage received 100 points from The Wine Advocate, the highest possible rating, an achievement that was repeated with the 2023 vintage.
Beyond the score, the documentary makes it clear that true success for Raúl Pérez has never been about the number, but about demonstrating that a small mountain vineyard in Bierzo could rank among the world's great wines.
La Muria and Raúl Pérez's philosophy
Perhaps the greatest lesson from the documentary is that La Muria does not only represent an exceptional wine.
It represents a way of understanding viticulture based on the landscape, patience, and absolute respect for each plot.
At a time when many wineries seek to reproduce a recognizable style, Raúl Pérez continues to advocate for exactly the opposite: that each vineyard has its own voice and that the place speaks through the wine.
Precisely for this reason, La Muria has become one of the most personal works of one of the most influential winemakers in the world.