2022 Estevez "Valtuille de Abajo Vino de Villa" Bierzo

Bierzo as a modern region is starting to mature, as a wine nerd it is very exciting. Bierzo is now a fixture in the world of fine wine, where only a couple of decades ago the only wines that were available came from co-ops and were for domestic consumption only, a large part of which was consumed by pilgrims travelling along the Camino Santiago. It is a region rich in resources (it was originally established by the Romans for their goldminers to have wine to drink) the most valuable being the old vines. There are more old vineyards in Bierzo than any other region in the world! Read that again, the world. It was those old vines that brought many young winemakers to the region and brought their wines to the world’s attention. With the region being firmly established the appellation and winemakers wanted to start a classification system, almost along the lines of Burgundy. With that system in place, we are now in a position to talk more about terroir, and nerds like me love talking about terroir. The second level of classification is “Vino de Villa” and that was a very long introduction to this wine, I apologize, but I did tell you that I was excited about this. Vino de Villa is the equivalent of a “village wine” in Burgundy. Valtiulle de Abajo is the village for this wine. This is one of the lowest parts of Bierzo, with low rolling hills and cool sandy clay soils. The wines from here tend to be a little fuller, with a touch more power and a darker fruit profile, and this is a classic expression of that terroir. Sourced from several vineyards around the village, with no vineyard being younger than 90 years old. Read that again and look at the price point! Native yeast fermentation in a French oak foudre and the aged for 12 months in a mixture of 250L and 500L new and used French oak barrels. Rich dark cherries, with crushed wild herbs and spices playing in the background. Complex, but not complicated. On the palate the fruit tones darken with blackberries and plum along with the cherries, it is medium bodied, with very soft tannins and a slowly building earthiness. This has the accessibility of the Verso, with more depth. Here is another great value and presents us with the opportunity to pay attention to and build out our knowledge of this fascinating region.