The prodigal son returns: 98/100!
SOLD OUT – Reserve the next vintage on our reservation page: RESERVE HERE
"Villegas" is the name of this prodigal son…
A small plot next to Raúl Pérez’s home in Valtuille de Abajo. Only two 500-litre barrels produced, just 1,300 bottles in total.
Almost 100% Mencía from sandy soils.
Like all wines from Raúl’s family estate, vinification is handled by his cousin César Márquez, a meticulous winemaker who is 100% focused on the vineyard.
And the result speaks for itself: for the past five years or so, the wines from Castro Ventosa (Raúl Pérez’s family winery) have been scoring just as high as the wines Raúl releases under his own name.
Due to an error at the winery at the end of 2024, the Villegas was missing from our shipment of Valtuille crus 2022. A pity, since it was the highest-scoring cru of them all…
And we weren’t about to organise transport for just 120 bottles from Bierzo. So we waited until last month when a new shipment from Castro Ventosa arrived. At last, our 120 bottles of Valtuille Villegas 2022 are here!
And we’re thrilled!
In a warm vintage like 2022, they’ve still managed to craft a refined and elegant Villegas.
And it just scored a remarkable 98/100!
R. Parker: 98/100
The 2022 Valtuille Villegas comes from a vineyard on sandy soils by Raúl Pérez's house, in a place that tends to produce more elegant wine. It fermented with 100% full clusters with 60 days of maceration in oak vats. It's floral and elegant, a constant here; the vineyard is protected by some pine trees, and the grapes get less exposed to the sun. The palate is medium-bodied, the tannins are very fine, and the wine shows terrific balance. It has 13.29% alcohol with a pH of 3.58 and 5.09 grams of acidity. It's elegant, fine and precise. 1,300 bottles produced from two 500-liter barrels. It was bottled in May 2024.
The winery from the Pérez family in Bierzo, Castro Ventosa, keeps working on the zonification and site orientation of their wines. They are using more and more 500-liter barrels, looking for more finesse and elegance in their wines.
After the reservations, around 90 bottles still available.
Don’t wait too long !