2023 Las Gundiñas Bierzo, Raúl Pérez, La Vizcaína

• Style: Silky, mineral-driven Mencía field blend
• Taste: Wildflower and red berry with bright acidity and saline thread
• Food: Roasted lamb, grilled game, aged Manchego, mushroom dishes
• Occasion: Sunday lunch, date night, cellar-worthy aging
• Serve: 13.5% ABV, 11 months French oak, hand-harvested organic

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

A wine that pours with remarkable clarity and lift. Wildflower and herb-tinged aromas frame soft red-berry character and a saline thread underneath. On the palate, poised and restrained — silky tannins and bright acidity that invites you to drink rather than merely admire. The 13.5% alcohol sits effortlessly, letting the wine's mineral precision and food-friendliness shine through.

The Winery — Raúl Pérez

Born and raised in Valtuille de Abajo, Raúl Pérez launched his own winemaking projects in 2005 after studying oenology and working at his family winery. His 'La Vizcaína' range spotlights individual vineyard plots around his home village, each crafted to preserve Bierzo's viticultural heritage. Las Gundiñas is a 2.2-hectare field blend of century-old vines — Mencía with Bastardo, Garnacha Tintorera and Doña Blanca — planted on clay slopes at 510 metres. Fermentation uses wild yeast and whole bunches in used oak, followed by 40 days on skins and 11 months in large French oak. The 2023 vintage benefited from a cooler growing season that favoured precision and freshness in thin-skinned Mencía, a hallmark of what makes Spain's Bierzo region increasingly compelling.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

This is the kind of wine that rewards adventurous drinking. Pair with roasted lamb, grilled game birds, aged Manchego, or mushroom-led dishes where the herb notes truly sing. Its saline minerality and bright acidity make it equally at home at a Sunday lunch table as it is on a date night, and the silky tannins mean it will age slowly for those patient enough to cellar it. Organic and vegan-friendly, hand-harvested with natural cork. James Suckling awarded 96 points; Tim Atkin scored 95. If you've wondered what makes Bierzo matter, this is where to start.