Castro Ventosa El Castro de Valtuille Mencia Joven

Castro Ventosa is a historic, family-owned winery located in the village of Valtuille de Abajo in Spain’s Bierzo region, with roots in viticulture dating back to 1752 under the Pérez family, who still run the estate today. Known for its deep focus on old-vine holdings—many over 50–80 years old—the winery specializes in expressive wines from the indigenous Mencía grape, alongside some Godello whites, emphasizing minimal intervention and a strong connection to terroir.

Originally a bulk wine producer, it began bottling estate wines in 1989 and adopted the name Castro Ventosa in 1991, inspired by a nearby Roman hilltop site. Today, under the influence of renowned winemaker Raúl Pérez and the day-to-day management of César Márquez, the winery is considered a benchmark producer in Bierzo, blending centuries-old tradition with a modern, site-driven approach to winemaking.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate—92 points—"The just-bottled 2021 El Castro de Valtuille Mencía Joven feels a bit reductive but with lots of freshness and balance, possibly the finest vintage of this wine. Since 2020, they have been doing less pumping over (this is the only wine worked with pumps and the only one with temperature control), and this is made all from destemmed grapes fermented in stainless steel. This is one of the wines that transcends its price category, and it's serious and balanced. It has very fine, elegant tannins. They harvested early, and the wine is complete, with great finesse and elegance, great balance and 13.3% alcohol."