RAÚL PÉREZ | LA VIZCAÍNA EL RAPOLAO 2022 75cl

Product Sheet – El Rapolao 2022

El Rapolao 2021 is the most intimate and precise voice of the Valtuille de Abajo vineyard, in the heart of Bierzo. A masterpiece signed by Raúl Pérez, where Mencía becomes pure liquid poetry, embracing Atlantic freshness, mineral depth, and the subtlety that only great wines can convey.

From a single plot: El Rapolao, north-facing, where altitude, a cool breeze, and slate and clay soils impart an unmistakable seal of elegance, finesse, and tension. Old vines over 80 years old, cultivated with traditional viticulture and minimal intervention. Fermentation is spontaneous, with stems, in open foudres, followed by 12 months of aging in used French oak barrels, seeking to respect the purity of the fruit and the identity of the terroir.

Characteristics

Vintage: 2022

Grape varieties: 100% Mencía (with small proportions of indigenous vineyard varieties)

Wine type: Aged red wine

Winery: Raúl Pérez – Vinos de Villa de Valtuille

Country: Spain

Region: Castilla y León

Subregion: D.O. Bierzo – Paraje El Rapolao (Valtuille de Abajo)

Vineyard: Old vines over 80 years old, on slate and clay soils, north-facing, traditional cultivation and minimal intervention

Format: 750 ml

Alcohol: 13% vol.

Aging: 12 months in used French oak barrels

Serving temperature: 14–16 ºC

Tasting Notes

Bright cherry red color with violet hues, medium intensity, and crystalline reflections. The nose is fragrant, deep, and ethereal, with aromas of fresh red fruit—cherry, raspberry, pomegranate—wild flowers, Atlantic herbs, subtle spicy notes, balsamic, graphite, and a mineral background that evokes damp slate and fresh earth. On the palate it is agile, vibrant, and silky, with fine, taut tannins, sharp freshness, and a long, vertical, and elegant finish, where fruit and minerality embrace in an almost perfect balance.

Pairing

Ideal to accompany fatty fish, grilled octopus, white meats, light stews, seasonal mushrooms, creamy rice dishes, artisanal cured meats, and soft cheeses. A wine that calls for serenity, conversation, and a table where time and landscape are celebrated.

El Rapolao 2022 is much more than a wine. It is the voice of the deepest Bierzo, a song to the terroir, to life, and to the balance between the fragility of the fruit and the mineral strength of the earth. A glass that breathes stone, wind, fog, and memory.