SITE - VALTUILLE DE ABAJO
El Rapolao
The Mencía grapes, with 30% stems, ferment with indigenous yeasts in open tanks of 1,000 liters, without temperature control, respecting the character of the vineyard. The wine then ages for twelve months in 500-liter French oak barrels and in a 1,000-liter oval foudre, refining to reveal an intense, fresh and profoundly Bierzo Mencía.
95
ATKIN
94
PARKER
“How much I have lost,
I have lost so much
that even the color of the field
has gone from me
I have lost the whistling of the wind
that cradled me as a child
and no longer feel
or the aroma of that wine.”
Helios Estevez
El Paraje
El Rapolao is the coolest spot in Valtuille de Abajo, a slow-ripening vineyard that has historically been one of the most valued in the village. At an altitude of 570 meters above sea level and facing northwest, its old Mencía vines, nearly 90 years old, grow on red clay soils rich in iron, which provide depth and character.
A unique vineyard where freshness, altitude and time come together to produce wines of great finesse and personality.
Technical Data
Vineyard
The coolest vineyard in town. Slow ripening. It is one of the most valued vineyards in the village.
Varieties in the vineyard
100% Mencía
Height
570m. above sea level
Average vineyard age
90 years
Winemaking
In open stainless steel tank 1000 liters (with 25% scratch) / without temperature control
Volume
1000 bottles
Type
Glass
Orientation
Northwest
Soil
Red clay with high iron content
Fermentation
Spontaneous with autochthonous yeasts
Malolactic fermentation
In 500-liter French oak barrels
Breeding:
12 months in 500-liter French oak casks