Castro Ventosa Valtuille La Cova de la Raposa 2022

Even though it's from the warmer part of the village, the 2022 Valtuille La Cova de la Raposa shows contained ripeness and alcohol (13.37%) and very good freshness (pH 3.56). It's from a plot that they harvest quite early, "possibly the first vineyard to be harvested in the whole Bierzo," winemaker César Márquez told me. It's fine-grained and fine-boned, and it fermented with 40% full clusters and matured for 12 months in larger barrels, 500-liter ones. This feels like a triumph over the natural conditions of the year. 1,200 bottles were filled in May 2024.