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Cream Wine Company
118 N. Peoria St., 3rd Fl
Chicago, IL 60607
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Home | Producers | Raul Perez

Raul Perez

Raul Perez, Owner and Winemaker (photo by Vinimenta)
Raul Perez, Owner and Winemaker (photo by Vinimenta)


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Raul Perez Information Sheet
Map of Ultreia de St. Jacques Vineyard
Map of Ultreia de Valtuille Vineyard
Country of Origin: Spain
People: Raul Perez, Owner & Winemaker
Supplier: www.oleimports.com


Raul Perez is a study in contrasts. Curious. Courteous. Pensive. Gregarious. He is intensely serious about his work, but doesn't take himself too seriously. He is deeply committed to getting it right, but entirely unafraid of failure. He believes that wine is made in the vineyard, but is undeterred from trying a multitude of strategies to find that vineyard's voice.

As a winemaker, Raul's mission is to capture all potential from each site he works with. There are many talents who grew up with vines, who innovate, who study intently the world's wines and their making. Raul has this and more; an uncanny knack for knowing what a vineyard needs and how to treat that vineyard's grapes once in the winery to achieve their greatest expression.

As a person, he is a magnet. A simultaneously formal and informal web of friends and business associates links him to people in his village, throughout Spain and the world. Many of these friendships and associations have led to collaborations. Everyone seems to want to know what Raul thinks, and if it means better wine, he is not afraid to tell them. Now, finding himself suddenly in an international spotlight, his already large "tribe" grows daily.

Raul Perez was born in 1972 in Valtuille de Abajo in the Northwest of Spain, into the family that owns Bodegas Castro Ventosa, the largest owner of Mencía plantings in Bierzo (75 hectares). Raul grew up here, developing his ideals and passions, and continued to work at the family winery through the 2003 harvest. He also holds a position as winemaker at Tilenus, a "full time" job that covers all his material basic needs, allowing him, without financial fear of mistakes, to continue to push the envelope to sometimes uncomfortable limits on his own wines.

Though his commitment to "no compromise" makes him simultaneously controversial and popular, this attitude is not born out of lack of respect or reverence, but rather the opposite. Raul Perez is intensely driven to be the conduit of amazing wines. It is not a refusal to compromise, but a lack of acceptance that settling for something less than zenith is even an option.

Bodegas y Viñedos Raul Perez produces extra limited, handcrafted, artisanal wines from varieties such as Albariño, Mencía, Bastardo, Prieto Picudo and Godello from the Northwestern DOs of Spain and are imported into the USA by Ole Imports.
Items
Raul Perez 2007 Albarino 'Muti' Net Price Reviews —
Raul Perez 2008 Mencia 'Vico' Net Price — —
Raul Perez 2007 Prieto Picudo Net Price Reviews —
Reviews
Raul Perez 2007 Albarino 'Muti'
Rating: 95

When Perez, a native of Bierzo, is not consulting for others' projects, he's making small amounts of his own wine, like the 83 cases of Muti he produced in 2007. This is a selection from three parcels, including one with 100-year-old-vines. It macerates on the skins for a day, ferments in barrel, then half of it matures in neutral oak, half in stainless steel. The outcome is an Albarino that will age. The fruit is powerful, with white peach and pear flavors to match the wine's mineral drive. Meanwhile, a beam of malic acidity runs straight through it, keeping the flavors firm in the center and as soft as chamomile at the edges. If you're lucky enough to find a bottle or two, you'll get the most out of it by cellaring it a few years before decanting with a meaty fish, like roast hake or sturgeon.

- Wine & Spirits (8/1/2010)

Raul Perez 2007 Ultreia De Valtuille
Rating: 99

A glass-coating opaque purple color, it has an amazingly sublime, other-worldly perfume like, dare I say it, Romanee-Conti (from a great vintage). Round, velvety, and remarkably graceful on the palate, it has the structure and balance to make old bones. This awesome effort can be enjoyed now and over the next 40 years.

- The Wine Advocate (6/30/2009)

Raul Perez 2007 Sketch
Rating: 95

100% Albarino that spent 12 months in egg-shaped barrels with 12 months of battonage followed by 60 days in bottle at 30 meters under the sea. Medium straw-colored, the nose reveals notes of lemon curd, mineral, peach, apricot and an array of tropical aromas. Layered and super-long on the palate, it is a bit rounder and richer than the Mult bottling. In the moth saline notes emerge and lead to a finish that lasts for over one minute.

- The Wine Advocate (6/30/2009)

Raul Perez 2007 Muti
Rating: 93

The lineup begins with the 2007 Muti made from 100% Albarino and aged in egg-shaped barrels for eight months. This grape makes excellent wine but in Perez hands it is magically transformed into something sublime. Light gold-colored, it gives up a splendid bouquet of mineral, lemon meringue, peach, and an assortment of tropical scents. On the palate vibrant acidity, intense flavors, and exceptional depth make for something special. Who knows whether it will evolve but drinking it now is a sure thing. The extraordinary wines of Raul Perez must be tasted to be believed. Words simply cannot do them justice. The problem is that they are produced in minuscule quantities.

- The Wine Advocate (6/1/2009)

Raul Perez 2006 A Trabe (Red Blend)
Rating: 97

The 2006 A Trabe is a blend of Bastardo, Mencia, Zamarrica, Verdello Tinta, Serodio Tinta, and Garnacha Tintorera, a veritable witchs brew of indigenous grapes from the DO of Monterrei. One might ask why write about a wine of which only 40 bottles are coming to the USA? Just documenting that something so unique exists seems sufficient, and sometimes people do actually hit the lottery. The other-worldly bouquet delivers scents of dates, figs, ginger, and chocolate-covered cherries. On the palate the wine is dry, remarkably multi-dimensional, and perfectly balanced. Exceptionally long in the finish, it will surely evolve into who knows what but I would love to be there when the bottle is opened. The extraordinary wines of Raul Perez must be tasted to be believed. Words simply cannot do them justice. The problem is that they are produced in minuscule quantities.

- The Wine Advocate (6/1/2009)

Raul Perez 2007 Sacrata Godello
Rating: 95

The 2007 Sacrata Blanco is 100% Godello aged in oak for two months with no malolactic fermentation. It exhibits a super-fragrant bouquet of mineral, fennel, baking spices, and apple pie. Rich, concentrated and lingering on the palate, this is a compelling example of how good Godello can be.

- The Wine Advocate (6/1/2009)

Raul Perez 2007 Sacrata Mencia
Rating: 95

The purple-colored 2007 Sacrata is 100% Mencia from the coolest part of Ribera Sacra. The wine was aged for 10 months in French oak. It emits a splendid aromatic array of mineral, spice box, violets, incense, black cherry, and blueberry. Elegant, velvety-texture, and complex, it has the structure and balance to drink well for a decade. The extraordinary wines of Raul Perez must be tasted to be believed. Words simply cannot do them justice. The problem is that they are produced in minuscule quantities.

- The Wine Advocate (9/1/2009)

Raul Perez 2008 Ultreia St. Jacques
Rating: 92

The value in the portfolio is the 2007 Ultreia St. Jacques, a 100% Mencia cuvee that spent eight months in seasoned French oak with batonnage. Dark ruby-colored, it delivers a complex aroma reminiscent of great Burgundy. Silky, sweetly-fruited, and impeccably balanced, this lengthy effort should drink well for a decade.

- The Wine Advocate (6/1/2009)

Raul Perez 2007 Ultreia La Claudina Godello
Rating: 96

The 2007 La Claudina is 100% Godello. It was aged in two 700-liter barrels and one standard barrique for 11 months with batonnage. Light gold-colored with an amber tint, it offers up a complex aromatic array of baking spices, dried herbs, minerals, and tropical fruits. Rich and extracted on the palate, this is an expression of Godello unlike any other. Both Godellos should drink well for 6-8 years. The extraordinary wines of Raul Perez must be tasted to be believed. Words simply cannot do them justice. The problem is that they are produced in minuscule quantities.

- The Wine Advocate (6/1/2009)

Raul Perez 2007 Prieto Picudo
Rating: 96

Perhaps the most unique (and difficult to describe) of the Raul Perez wines is the 2007 Prieto Picudo sourced from 100-year-old vines and aged for 17 months in French oak. Opaque purple-colored, it has a mind-boggling, sexy bouquet of mineral, truffle, incense, kinky wild blackberry, and black raspberry, Firm on the palate, it is already complex, with silky-textured black fruits, succulent flavors, and a 60-second finish. There is no track record of how it might evolve but its impeccable balance suggests that 6-8 years (or longer) is well within reason. The extraordinary wines of Raul Perez must be tasted to be believed. Words simply cannot do them justice. The problem is that they are produced in minuscule quantities.

- The Wine Advocate (6/1/2009)

Raul Perez () 2007 El Pecado
Rating: 98

The 2007 El Pecado is 100% Mencia from the DO of Ribera Sacra. Its ethereal aromas are reminiscent of a great vintage of La Tache (readers will surely think I am exaggerating) leading to a layered, sleek, elegant wine with tons of spice, that seems to melt in the mouth. The extraordinary wines of Raul Perez must be tasted to be believed. Words simply cannot do them justice. The problem is that they are produced in minuscule quantities.

- The Wine Advocate (6/1/2009)