“Saint Jacques is by far the most important wine I make.”- Raúl Pérez.

An astonishing value Mencia from one of Spain’s most important (and hairy) winemakers, Raúl Pérez. It pours a bright, glossy, crimson colour and the appearance seems to translate into flavour, as the palate evokes shiny purple- and blue-skinned fruits (damsons, blueberries, blackcurrants) with succulent acids, black pepper and a hint of cherry blossom. There’s a seamless feel to the polished fruit and you can really taste the quality of the harvest, which is clearly the winemaker’s intention, as there is no oak flavour. It’s vibrant and beautifully supple with fine-grained tannins and a hint of cool graphite, which elevates the fruit. Raul makes some stunning ‘single vineyard’ expressions of Mencia, which have a bit more structure than this blend from old vineyards on different soils, but if you want to get beneath the skin of a grape, a winemaker and a region, then this is your backstage pass. 13.5% alc. Drink now-2027.

Organic farming

Press review:

The Wine Advocate: “The biggest volume of the winery is the 2021 Ultreia Saint Jacques, which represents some 170,000 bottles, and according to Raúl Pérez, it's the most difficult wine to make here. They now work a lot to produce this wine, a blend of 11 wines selected from the 17 they made. It's a wine that represents Bierzo and is from a year when they used more grapes from sandy soils. It has 13.16% alcohol and a pH of 3.66; it's serious and restrained but juicy and easy to drink. Seventy percent of the wine matured in barrel and the rest in troncoconic oak vats.Drink now-2028.” 93 points

Jancis Robinson MW (previous vintage): “'Saint Jacques is by far the most important wine I make.', says Raúl Pérez. Made from old vines from all over Bierzo. Mostly clay and sand-based sites, roughly 85% clay and 15% sand. Fermented in traditional oak vats (ex-Vega Sicilia) with 80% whole bunches and kept on the skins for two months before pressing into neutral barrels for a further 10 months. The wine is based on the local grape Mencía but there are some field blends so there are some smaller proportions of Alicante Bouschet, Trousseau, Palomino, and other wild grapes. It's named after the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage (aka Chemin de St-Jacques) which passes through the Bierzo region. Transparent crimson. Thoroughly satisfying, complex, lifted perfume that already shows some integration even if quite a hit of acidity and a little tannin on the palate. It doesn't have the sweet majesty of Bierzo reds costing many times as much but is clearly an artisanal product from the heavily bearded Pérez. Refreshing and only medium body in terms of impact on the palate. Drink now-2026. Very Good Value.” 17 points

Customer comments (including previous vintage):

“This is an amazing wine.” - Mr. P.D.

”Another case of the Raul Perez Saint Jacques Ultreia if available; it’s brilliant!” - Mr. A.R.

”A hit! Muy, muy bien. Should have had a whole case. Please may I have another 6? - Ms. V. J.

“By the way, the Raul Perez, Ultreia St Jacques was absolutely brilliant for the money.” - Mr M.B.

“Love that Ultreia. I will do another 12!” - Mr. P.N.

”Outstanding!!” - Mr. P. J.

“Very much enjoyed the first bottle last night. Lovely fruit and balance. Slipped down very - too! easily!” - Mr J.G.

”Drank a bottle of the Ultreia St Jacques on weekend. Lovely!” - Mr. D.A.

”This is a damn good wine.” - Mr. D.A.

“I should say I have really enjoyed the Ultreia St Jacques - quite delicious!” - Mr S.C.

”Delicious and superb value.” - Mr. A.T.