The 2014 Ultreia de Valtuille was very open and expressive, impressive too, with notes of freshness, blood orange, red cherries and also flowers (violets, lilies) and an earthy touch. It's elegant and complex, with very fine tannins and a velvety sensation. As with all the reds, the oak is unnoticeable, perfectly integrated and folded into the wine. 3,500 bottles were filled in November 2016.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP

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Bright ruby. Pungent dark berry, cherry and pipe tobacco scents are lifted by a peppery nuance and a hint of pungent flowers. Lush, concentrated bitter cherry, blackcurrant and violet pastille flavors tighten up and become sweeter on the back half while picking up a hint of licorice. Closes sweet and impressively long, with silky tannins framing the wine's intense, clinging dark fruit.

Vinous Media | 94 VM

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(Mencía “Ultreia Valtuille”- Bodegas y Viñedos Raúl Pérez (Bierzo)) The 2014 “Ultreia Valtuille” bottling of Mencía from Raúl Pérez is truly an old vine cuvée, as this vineyard was planted at the end of the nineteenth century! It is principally Mencía, but again includes a few other grapes in its traditional field blend. It is fermented whole cluster with indigenous yeasts and raised in older barrels prior to bottling. The 2014 Valtuille delivers a fine aromatic constellation of sweet dark berries, gentle meatiness, a touch of graphite, chicory, a complex base of dark soil, woodsmoke and just a dollop of lavender in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and sappy at the core, with a firm chassis of ripe tannins, good acids and fine focus and grip on the long, peppery and nascently complex finish. This is a notable step up in mid-palate intensity than the very good regular bottling, as the old vines deliver more depth and structural precision. This needs some bottle age to really sing, but will be a terrific wine once it has blossomed. (Drink between 2020-2045)

John Gilman | 92 JG

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Light, crisp and focused, this lively red delivers cherry, berry, herbal, licorice and smoky flavors that mingle in a lithe frame. Not muscular, but energetic and balanced. Drink now through 2022. 300 cases imported.

Wine Spectator | 90 WS

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