Raúl Pérez Viticultor

Raúl Pérez Pereira was born in Valtuille de Abajo (León) in 1972, and his journey to becoming one of the best wine producers in Spain and the world has been long and not without difficulties. His beginnings in the world of wine can be traced back to the faculty of oenology and Castro Ventosa, the family winery where he started working at the age of 19.

In 1996, he began making fluid and personal wines, and a year later, he took full control of Castro Ventosa, as his uncles, who had been in charge of the business until then, were now elderly. In 1999, he learned a great deal alongside Álvaro Palacios and even collaborated with him on the first wines that would later become the wines of the Descendientes de J. Palacios winery, as he also did on the first vintages of Bodegas Peique.

In 2003, he launched his first solo wine, Ultreia (named after the greeting once used by pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago), already clear in his mind that the Mencía grape should be the star of the show.

He then began collaborations in Portugal with Dirk Niepoort, in South Africa with Eben Sadie and with a long list of wineries in Rías Baixas, Monterrei and Madrid. His work in Algueira and Guímaro deserves special mention, as it was there that he began to discover the enormous potential of the Ribeira Sacra and embarked on a journey that would ultimately make him the father of the wines of this appellation as we know them today.

Today, his style is well known throughout the wine world, but his creations always seem to have something special that is very difficult to imitate. Raúl has the utmost respect for nature, harvesting early and, in the winery, intervening only when absolutely necessary, seeking to simplify as much as possible. He vinifies with the stems and vats for several months with the aim of extracting the tannins in a gradual and respectful manner.

Each terroir, each climate and each vintage can be felt in his wines, as Raúl does not like to correct his work. His wines are accessible from a young age, but they age with elegance, which is unusual in the world of oenology. They are wines like those of yesteryear, like those made in the past by Raúl's own family.

Ultreia is now Raúl Pérez's best-known range of wines, but the wines that first brought him international fame were the Sketch labels, a white wine he produces with his friend Rodrigo Méndez, and the red wines El Pecado and La Penitencia, three iconic wines from vineyards in Rías Baixas and Ribeira Sacra, although they are not covered by any designation of origin and have a limited production of just 1,000 bottles each.

Ultreia is the label most associated with Raúl's name. It is a very wide range of wines, including Ultreia Saint Jacques, Ultreia Mencía, Ultreia Godello and Ultreia de Valtuille, as well as various estate or single vineyard wines: Ultreia La Claudina, Ultreia Petra and Ultreia El Rapolao are some of the gems hidden within this project.

Los Arrotos del Pendón is a range of Prieto Picudo and Albarín wines made in León, which have a different profile to the wines made with the local varieties.

Atalier is an Albariño white wine that shines with its own light. Fresh, salty and highly sought-after, it is made from ripe grapes without malolactic fermentation.

The result of its collaboration with Dirk Niepoort is Calderera, a Mencía red wine grown at an altitude of 800 metres on slate soils, fresh and with great ageing potential.

Raúl Pérez continues to be involved in the family winery, Castro Ventosa. His nephew César Márquez is in charge of winemaking, and Raúl lends a hand when it comes time to make the blends. Castro de Valtuille, Valtuille Cepas Centenarias and El Rapolao de Castro Ventosa are some of the wines produced here.

Another family project is La Vizcaína de Vinos (Bierzo), also in partnership with his nephew César. Traditional vineyards in Valtuille de Abajo, old and small in size. La Poulosa, La del Vivo and Las Gundiñas have their origins here.

Castro Candaz, in Ribeira Sacra, is another project shared with Rodrigo Méndez (Forjas del Salnés). La Vertical and A Boca do Demo represent a style halfway between the essence of Raúl Pérez and the traditional style of the area. 

Together with Luis Miguel Fernández, in El Bierzo, he produces the wines of the Camino del Norte project, Mencía from Valtuille and Godello from Cacabelos.

Raúl Pérez is an advisor to Bodegas Estefanía, known for its Tilenus wines, but his oenological involvement does not end there: Sierra Salinas and Salvador Poveda (Alicante) or Lavia (Bullas).

Whether working alone, advising or participating in other projects, more than 200 different wines touched by Raúl's magic wand are among the best in the world.