Light straw color. The aromas are intense and outstanding, far more floral than most Rias Baixas, but not masking the piquant panoply of white, yellow, orange and green fruits (lime, kumquat, Granny Smith apple). The palate is also fine, with very racy acidity balanced by a sense of some weight that doesn’t feel at all heavy. The floral notes fade on the palate leaving very citrusy flavors that beg for some seafood. The acid lingers in the finish, a quibble that actually leads me to believe that this could improve for a year or two in bottle. Rated 91.5, up to 2 points of improvement possible. I’m going to get a few more and revisit late this year. This is expensive for Rias Baixas, but still a good value.
Totally agree…I absolutely love this wine. I paid $23. But this has Chablis 1er Cru levels of minerality, so at that price it feels like pretty stellar QPR. I also like Zarate’s village bottling for $20.
Overall I’m finding 2018’s pretty stellar in the region for drinking now. The 2017 of this Atalier cuvee was pretty austere when I had it at the same point in its lifespan.
We have drunk through a case of this over the last year, and it’s impressive and delightful every time. It’s a no-brainer with seafood, but also a great match with cheese, especially goat.
Had this over the weekend with clams and lobster…definitely worth the small premium over other Rias Baixas. Feel like there’s a complexity of so many flavors that continued to evolve until the end of the bottle. Just fantastic.
Add my vote to the Atalier fan club, terrific wine for summer and seafood. I have some of the RP made La Vizcaina Bierzo that comes from 100 year old Godello vines - really looking forward to open one very soon.
It’s very good as well, though lighter and less viscous and aromatic than the Atalier, more of a pure seafood wine to me, though of course it’s good with a number of other things. We treat it as less serious wine, which I’m not sure is fair.
Nice note, Dan. I’ve really enjoyed this bottling over the past few vintages that I have gotten to try. Sarah, have you tried the Louro? If so, how does it compare to the Bierzo Blanco.
All in all, I’ve really been enjoying the white wines from Spain and Portugal which are quite new to me, and as Justin noted, you can find similarities to other regions, or rather, shared qualities amongst great wines.
I just picked up a few bottles of the 2019 Leirana. Looking forward to pulling a cork on one soon.
Since we started spending time in Galicia, Asturias and the Basque Region, I’ve never felt much desire to go back to Barcelona. We’ve been west 7 or 8 times now and, but for COVID-19, would be leaving for our yearly trip later this week. Do a search sometime in the Travel forum for my notes from past trips. Or maybe the food board, but I think it’s travel.
Sarah, I’m sorry to hear your trip is delayed, though hopefully you will get to return soon enough. Thank you for pointing me towards the travel and food boards, and I’ll be sure to check out your thoughts on Spain as you seem to have extensive knowledge and excitement for the region.
Thanks for the interesting replies and references to other wines from this producer. This was the first wine I’ve had from Raul Perez, but it won’t be the last.
Sarah,
I am also enamored of Galicia. I’m a cool climate person (Maine) and Galicia looks and feels just like home, except that they have different seafood and local wine, both of which are spectacular. Had it penciled in for late September, but obviously now a no-go (Europe may not let us in!?!?!!!). My next Europe trip is now looking like December (if granted admittance), but won’t include Galicia. So next Spring sounds good.
If by age well you mean improve over a long period, then no, not really, though they don’t fade quickly or anything. I’m happily drinking the 2011 Rara Avis from Raul Perez. Of course that’s an oxidative style, so a little different. The first couple of years might give you a little more depth on the most serious of them, and they will hold for a while with their strong acid profile. But the joyous youthful balance is what they are all about. To be clear, I don’t think this is a fault in the least.
OK, now that I’ve been introduced to Raul Perez, I need some guidance from the board. He’s apparently The Big Bierzo. In general I find Bierzo a little twisty and lean, haven’t been a fan, but obviously Raul knows what he’s doing. If I was going to try one of the following 2016s, please suggest which one:
All of these are good. I would recommend La Vitoriana. On the higher end, el Pecado and Sketch are stunning
‘La Vitoriana’ 2015
This is a very interesting site from a “vineyard geek” perspective in that it has both North and South exposure. This is very unusual, but it makes sense once you see the parcel. It is shaped like a half-pipe, so one face of the half-pipe has direct Northern exposure and the opposite face has direct Southern exposure. The parcel was planted in 1890, right after phylloxera, making it one of the oldest that Raúl exploits. 75% or so Mencía with Alicante Bouschet and Trousseau. Whole cluster fermentation in large foudres, followed by a lengthy post-fermentation maceration and one year in neutral French barrels.
The reds get very high scores, but I have to say I’m not as enamored of them as his whites, perhaps because they don’t go with my food as often when I’m in Galicia. My favorite in limited experience is La Rapolao. It is a complete wine to me, where mencia is often missing here or there and can be more of a tool than an experience. But La Rapolao has very deep and dense flavor, a solid mid and a strong finish. It is pretty stuffed, though, and I am waiting for my 2015’s to show signs of openness.
Sketch is a white. It’s the hottest and commands high prices, relatively speaking, on restaurant lists, but I find it a little over done and winemaker-y, whereas most of this other whites seem effortless. But then, G-Max isn’t my favorite Keller. I’d give the Rara Avis a look, if you want to try another white. I find it both fascinating and delicious, and only slightly oxidative. I love sherry and Jura whites and Madeira, though, so my perspective may be skewed. John Gilman says:
“The Albarín “Rara Avis” from Bodegas y Viñedos Raúl Pérez is an interesting wine, as it spends four to five years aging in cask under its flor prior to bottling. The 2011 “Rara Avis” offers up a deep and complex bouquet of Manzanilla-like nutty tones, yellow fruit, salty soil tones, white flowers and orange peel. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and vibrant, with fine focus and grip, bright acids, a lovely core and a long, classy and complex finish. This is really, really good! 2017-2030+. 94 points John Gilman (View From The Cellar)”