(2023) Raúl Pérez's has restored his old vineyards in Bierzo, Galicia, which is an area bubbling under with many people having discovered the quality of the wines made from the Mencia variety. The wine was fermented in oak vats that are ex-Vega Sicilia. Bold crimson in colour, there's a high-toned, medicinal edge to the aroma over solid red fruit. Is this a touch of Brett perhaps? In the mouth ripe but not too gloss, a nice authentic touch of rusticity to fruit and tannins. The finish is a little dry, which again makes me suspect a touch of Brettanomyces here that, for me, just detracts.

(2016) Serious bangs per buck in this excellent, and now six-year-old wine from the newly trendy Bierzo region of northwest Spain. It has a bit of earth and plummy richness and roundness, suffused with wild berries but a hint of smoky minerals too. It has a nice sheen of supporting oak to the fresh but full fruit on the palate, where the juicy and crunchy vitality is perfectly poised.