La Petra 2022

2022 / 95+ puntos

The 2022 La Petra is a new single-vineyard wine that comes from two adjacent plots but is still not qualified as single-vineyard wine and instead is sold as generic Bierzo (but will be sold as "paraje" in future vintages). It's from a place on slate and quartz soils in the village of San Lorenzo that is planted with 80-year-old vines on the south-facing side of La Encrucijada. It fermented with 50% full clusters and 50% destemmed grapes in 1,000-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in used 225-liter French oak barrels for one year. It's floral and perfumed but with an austere stoniness and a rocky sensation in the palate, with a fine thread, textured, with fine tannins. It has 13% alcohol and is balanced and clean. It has more freshness and less sensation of ripeness as it's higher in altitude (some 680 meters) even if it has a south-facing exposition. This is delicious, complex and elegant. A great debut! 2,000 bottles were filled in February 2024.