2018 - Ultreia Paluezas, Raul Perez, Bierzo

I uncorked a bottle of the rare 2018 Ultreia Paluezas (only 600 bottles produced) and found it so characterful and distinctly marked by the slate soils (because the soils there are slate-based despite having the rarity to also contain small portions of limestone) with an earthy and dark profile that I decided to write a note on it. The wine is a root and soil wine rather than an airy and floral one, closer to a Northern Rhône in character than a red Burgundy. In fact, the clear reminiscences of a Côte-Rôtie is what pushed me to write this note. It has aromas of black olives, Mediterranean herbs and tar, and it has fine, powdery tannins like the decomposed slate from the Douro in Portugal. It's medium-bodied and has a fine texture, with pungent, persistent flavors. Yes, very much like a Côte-Rôtie. A Côte Brune Côte-Rôtie... It's evolving slowly; it should make old bones.