Few people have changed the landscape of a wine-producing country the way Raúl Perez has for Spain. From his inaugural vintages in the mid-90s up to the present, he has been a catalyst for the New Spain movement that has revolutionized the way we think about Spanish wine.

He started off at his family's estate, in a corner of the relatively obscure region of Bierzo. Within just a few years he realized that his enological training was important, but not as important as responding to natural cues and his own intuition. He's been touted Spain's best winemaker many times over, and many regard him as one of the world's best — full stop.

Though he's a passionate and highly trained winemaker, he paradoxically wants his impression on the wine to be as minimal as possible. He aims to highlight purity of fruit, as well as the unique terroir of wherever he happens to be — which could be just about anywhere. He's a man constantly on the move, either tending to his own vines, purchasing fruit from like-minded growers or advising his acolytes.

Though he has put down roots all over world, there's no abandoning his hometown of Valtuille de Abajo, and arguably his most ambitious project is intricately tied to Raúl's home turf. Following the Burgundian model, each site is vinified separately in pursuit of pinpointing the difference made to the wine by changes in elevation, soil type, exposure and more. The wines are all Mencía-heavy, but other varieties, mostly Bastardo, or Trousseau, and Garnacha Tintorera, or Alicante Bouschet, though a few plots feature some white varieties in addition.

What importer Skurnik Wines has to say about this wine...

Village: Valtuille de Abajo
Vineyard: Las Gundiñas
Year of plantation: 1910
Hectares: 2.2
Altitude: 510 meters ASL
Soil: Clay and limestone with lots of depth
Orientation: East
Plant density: 3800 vines / hectare
Varieties: Mostly Mencía with Bastardo (Trousseau), Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) and Doña Blanca
Elaboration: Whole cluster fermentation in large oak vats. 30-60 day maceration followed by one year of aging in used 225-liter barrels. Bottled without fining or filtration.