Raúl Pérez more or less put the Spanish growing region of Bierzo and Ribera Sacra on the map. His wines are always consistently plush and well-balanced.

Since he produced his first vintage for his family’s winery in 1994 at the age 22, he has been at the forefront of the conversation about what has been called “The New Spain”, specializing in the native cultivars of Northwestern Spain. In 2005, he left his family business to strike out on his own, creating Bodegas y Viñedos Raúl Pérez.

The limited creations of Raúl Pérez are handcrafted for those who lust after old-vine Saint-Joseph and the savory intrigue of top-tier Chinon. If that’s you, hear me now: you MUST try this wine!

La Vizcaína is a project from Raúl Pérez that explores the hillside crus around his hometown of Vatuille de Abajo. Four reds and one white, all from single vineyard sites, are produced under the name, all from vines with over fifty years of average age (some much older).

The El Rapolao Single vineyard, was planted in 1920 and another in 1980 on mostly clay. Mostly Mencía with Bastardo (Trousseau), Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet). Wine undergoes whole cluster fermentation in large oak vats. 30-day maceration followed by one year of aging in used 225 and 500-liter barrels. Unfined and unfiltered.