Valtuille ‘Cepas Centenarias’ 2015 96+WA
Castro Ventosa
Bierzo, Spain

$72.99 on 4+ mix & match ok (code 4saves5)
$77.99 reg

100% Mencia
Vineyards: 580 meters above sea level, 4,000 to 7,000 vines /ha, south-facing.
Soil Type: Sand and chalk
Vine Age: 100+ years old
Fermentation: Whole cluster

Cepas Centeneria, or 'centenary vines', comes from pre-phylloxera vineyards, mainly sandy soil. The local grape Mencia is used to make this wine, to which 5% Bastardo and 2% others local grapes were also added as a finishing touch. The grapes were handpicked at optimum ripeness, long maceration and fermented in French oak barrels, 100% full cluster fermentation with indegenous yeasts. Aged for just over 12 months in used 228 liter French oak barrels. No filtration, 3 500 bottles made.

96+ pts Robert Parker Wine Advocate (Luis Gutierrez)
I was very pleasantly surprised by the elegance and balance of the 2015 Valtuille Cepas Centenarias, centenary Mencía from two plots in the village of Valtuille. This is always one of the finest wines in the portfolio, but this 2015 was especially harmonious, combining aromas of violets and wild herbs with an earthy touch and a medium-bodied palate with very refined tannins that made it beautifully textured. There is an extra degree of complexity here and it has the depth of the very old vines. This has to be one of the finest vintages for this bottling. There are 3,500 bottles of it.