Verónica Ortega’s rarest wine:
Last year, this was one of the most successful new releases of the year: Cáreo 2023 by Verónica Ortega, our winemaker with the most impressive CV in Spain, from Romanée-Conti to Raúl Pérez, with many stops in between.
Personally, I think she makes the finest white wines in Bierzo.
But that is not all:
In 2023, she had surpassed herself : also with her reds!
Read what Gutiérrez writes for R. Parker:
“the 2023’s are the finest collection of wines she has produced so far. This goes straight to the top of the hierarchy – not only within her range but in the whole Bierzo”.
That is no small statement!
This Cáreo 2023 immediately received an incredible 98/100:
“The other new red is the 2023 Cáreo, which is a different story from the A Bruxa. It comes from a very old vineyard planted with Mencía, Palomino, Doña Blanca and a little Godello, an ancient, centenary 0.9-hectare plot, where the Mencía has thinner skins, and the tannins are also finer. This is from the same zone as the white Tormenta in San Juan de la Mata, technically a village wine from Arganza, one of the few places in Bierzo that has limestone soils. Part (80%) of the wine fermented in a troncoconic oak vat with 100% full clusters and the rest was destemmed and fermented in bins, then the wine matured in separate 300-liter barrels for 11 months, after which, it was blended and put in amphorae, where it rested for another four months. This has a very focused violet note, also peachy, with a fine texture, with the mouthfeel from the limestone soils. It comes in at 12.9% alcohol with a pH of 5.4. I cannot make up my mind if I prefer this or the new A Bruxa... In any case, these are two superb additions to the portfolio, completing the high end in a stunning vintage. Bravo!!”
Cáreo 2023 therefore sold out immediately.
But for those who were too late, and there were quite a few of you… sorry, I have good news: the 2024 has just arrived. There are only 90 bottles available, so once again, quantities are very limited.
You do have one major advantage: this vintage has not been scored yet. So, if you trust me, do not wait for the score. Just take my word for it: Cáreo 2024 is at least on the same level, and perhaps even more elegant.
There, I said it…
The first thing I did was put another six bottles aside for myself.
Bierzo at its absolute best!