Raúl Pérez winery

The scion of a winemaking family, Raúl Pérez was born in 1972 in Valtuille de Abajo, in the heart of El Bierzo. Over the years, the talented and energetic Mr. Pérez has left his mark in several wine regions across the globe. Besides his native Bierzo, in Spain he has produced wines in regions such as Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, Monterrei and Madrid. Outside Spain, he has collaborated with first-class producers such as Dutchman Dirk Niepoort, owner of one Portugal's most important wine company, and south-african Eben Sadie. Nowadays, no less than 200 wine have the name "Raúl Pérez" printed on the label.

In 2013, Mr. Pérez took the reigns of Castro Ventosa, the family winery located in his native town, Valtuille de Abajo. Soon after, he started La Vizcaína de Vinos, a company focused on exploring the different expressions of the indigenous variety Mencía across the DO Bierzo.

One of the more celebrated projects of Mr. Raúl Pérez is called Ultreia, a Latin term which translates as "let's go beyond", and which was used as a greeting by the pilgrims of the Camino de Santiago.

As for the style of Mr. Raúl Pérez's wines, let's just say that a Decanter profile published in February 2018, written by Pedro Ballesteros MW, defined him as "the archetype of the intuitive winemaking genius". Indeed, all of Mr. Pérez wines convey a impression of spontaneity, depth and honesty which is rarely encountered in today's wines.

The outstanding talent and unique vision of Mr. Pérez has been recognized severat times by its peers. His wines receive consistently high scores in Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Luis Gutiérrez, Parker's correspondent in Spain, is a self confessed admirer of Mr. Pérez's wines). Furthermore, in 2015 he received the highest accolade awarded in his profession: he was chosen "Best Winemaker in the World" by the French publication Bettane+Desseauve.

• Year of foundation: 
• Address: Calle Promadelo, s/n
• City: Valtuille de Abajo
  
• Province: León
• Zip code: 24530
  
• Country: España
• Phone number: 
  
• www.raulperez.com
• Guided visits? No
• Wine tourism services?  No

Designation of origin:

Bierzo, Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, Monterrei, Vinos de Madrid.

Red wine varieties:

Mencía, Grenache Tintorera, Bastardo, Syrah, Tempranillo.

White wine varieties:

Albariño, Godello.