Raul Perez & Antoine Graillot - Encinas Bierzo 2018

"From granite and clay soils, the reductive 2018 Encinas fermented in concrete and matured in an oak vat. The reduction should eventually go, but it gives it an old-time Cornas profile. Mencía is quite reductive and it shows here. But the palate is superb, especially in the cooler and fresher 2018 vintage. The wine has stuffing and freshness, and the traditional, somewhat rustic profile should turn into a beauty in bottle. It needs time and air, as that reductive character reveals itself in a flinty way with a touch of sesame seeds. 10,000 bottles produced." Luis Gutieriez

The concept of this wine is to apply both Graillot and Pérez techniques to the terroir of Bierzo. Antoine's contribution was fermentation in cement vat, a practice that fell out of favor in Bierzo a generation ago but is still used by the Graillot family in Crozes-Hermitage. The vat he purchased for this project actually wouldn't fit through the door of Raúl's winery, so they had to remove a section of the roof in order to lower it in by crane. In addition to providing local knowledge and access for the grape purchases, Raúl also encouraged Antoine to leave the wine on the skins for an extended period of time after the whole cluster fermentation was complete. When I arrived to the winery on November 8th of last year, Antoine was there transferring the wine from cement to a large foudre for another ten months of aging. The grapes come from three different sites in the northwest quadrant of Bierzo, one of which is the Rapolao vineyard in Valtuille de Abajo, a site that is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the finest in the appellation. The brand name "Encinas" refers to the Quercus Ilex, more commonly known as Holm Oaks.

"From granite and clay soils, the reductive 2018 Encinas fermented in concrete and matured in an oak vat. The reduction should eventually go, but it gives it an old-time Cornas profile. Mencía is quite reductive and it shows here. But the palate is superb, especially in the cooler and fresher 2018 vintage. The wine has stuffing and freshness, and the traditional, somewhat rustic profile should turn into a beauty in bottle. It needs time and air, as that reductive character reveals itself in a flinty way with a touch of sesame seeds. 10,000 bottles produced." Luis Gutieriez