The vineyard of Espanillo sits at an altitude of 850 metres and is perhaps the highest in Bierzo. It’s Pérez’s flagship vineyard with rocky, fragmented slate and decomposed shale soils, and older vines that are reaching 90 years of age. As with many Spanish vineyards at this age, the parcel is a mixed planting; essentially Mencía with 15% Garnacha Tintorera, Estaladiña and Godello. Instead of discarding the latter varieties, as many do, Pérez feels they play an essential part in the story of this vineyard and its wine.
Not only are the vines very old but the vineyard is also managed the way it was 90 years ago, using ox-drawn plough. With the elevation, aspect and rock-strewn soil, this work is not as romantic as it sounds. This is hard, hard yakka. Today the field blend is fermented with a portion of the white bunches in 5,000 litre French-coopered Grenier foudre and then raised for just under a year in 2,500 litre oak ovals. This is Pérez’s finest example to date; a gorgeously pure, unforced Bierzo with oodles of crunchy plum, anise and black pepper-scented fruit with the silkiest of textures. A lick of earthy mineral here, some smoked meat complexity there; this is the blood of the mountain and a beautiful Spanish red.