Altos de San Esteban, La Perra Gorda 2019

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Altos de San Esteban, La Perra Gorda red organic wine has notes of cooked and very dark black cherry and blackcurrant. The nose is dark, meaty and savoury with textbook Mencia notes of dried leaves and earth combined with sweeter notes of rose and bitter chocolate. The palate is fresh, lifted and pointed with elegant acidity. Red fruits finish with violets. La Perra Gorda will go great with grilled steak or hearty pasta.

Located in the Bierzo Alto in the municipality of Torre de Bierzo (only recently permitted into the Bierzo DO), Altos de San Esteban is a relatively new project. An idea born out of four friends, one of whom inherited just 3ha of vines from his father. The higher vineyards and red clay-heavy soil profiles of Bierzo Alto, whilst different from the more traditional Mencia vineyards, allows for much later grape maturation and retention of acidity and freshness. The 2019 harvest saw Fermin Uria join as a winemaker, having worked for four years at the emblematic Bierzo winery, Dominio de Tares as well as a long stint in Ribera del Duero. Viticulture in the winery is all organic, with spontaneous fermentation, low and minimal intervention in the winery.

The winery processes are carried out in traditional ways and craftsmanship. The four partners, along with some friend that aids them, perform the viticulture and winemaking tasks personally. They carry out sustainable winemaking labour without using chemical additives or herbicides. In the winery, they apply a low intervention oenology method to go along with the control and winemaking process striving to care about the identities in the soil and grape varieties.

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