Structure

Sweetnessdry
Oakbarrel aged

Drinking window

Best 4 to 16 years from vintage.
vintage4 yrs16 yrs18 yrs

Critic scores

No critic score is published for this bottle that we can cite with a reviewer, a vintage and a review year, so none is shown. The rating in the header is our own.

What it pairs with

  • Roast lamb shoulder
    Iron-rich clay gives the wine the frame to carry a slow roast.
  • Venison ragu
    The savoury depth of the site meets gamey slow-cooked meat.
  • Aged Manchego
    Salt in the cheese draws out the wine's fruit.

History

Castro Ventosa's first El Rapolao was the 2014. The site covers no more than 5.5 hectares split among twenty owners and now yields fourteen separate wines carrying its name, a Burgundian pattern of the sort the DO's paraje zoning was written for. The first El Rapolao of all was made in 2011 by Raúl Pérez and César Márquez under the La Vizcaína project.

Facts

Producer
Bodegas y Viñedos Castro Ventosa · visiting guide
Grapes
Mencía
Classification
Vino de Paraje (DO Bierzo)
Oak
Fermented 30 per cent whole bunch in a 3,000 litre foudre, then barrel aged
ABV
13.5%
Production
1,800 bottles
Price
€38-48 at retail
Drinking window
4-16 from vintage
First vintage
2014

Frequently asked about Valtuille El Rapolao

Where is Valtuille El Rapolao made?

From a single plot in the El Rapolao paraje at Valtuille de Abajo, on clay soil rich in organic matter and iron.

Why do so many wines carry the El Rapolao name?

The site runs to no more than 5.5 hectares divided among twenty owners, and around fourteen different wines now carry El Rapolao on the label, in the way a Burgundy climat is shared.

How long is Valtuille El Rapolao aged?

It ferments with about 30 per cent whole bunches in a 3,000 litre foudre, macerates around 45 days, then ages in barrel.

What food pairs with Valtuille El Rapolao?

Roast lamb shoulder, venison ragu, or aged Manchego.

Tags

cellar worthy dry firm tannin high acid medium body menc a mood contemplative mood savoury occasion cellar occasion special old vines old world pairs with aged cheese pairs with game pairs with red meat price premium single vineyard still red

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