Cesar Marquez Perez: El Rapolao 2023

Cesar Marquez Perez: El Rapolao 2023

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Mencia 85%, Alicante Bouschet 10%, Diverse 5%
rot, trocken
13,0% Vol.
Trinkreife: 2028–2062
pikant & würzig
strukturiert
fruchtbetont
Lobenberg: 98–100/100
Parker: 96+/100
Suckling: 96/100
Tim Atkin: 95/100
Spanien, Bierzo
Allergene: Sulfite,
Abfüller / Importeur: Bodega Cesar Marquez, Plaza la fuente 1, Valtuille de abajo, Spanien
lobenberg

Heiner Lobenberg über:
El Rapolao 2023

98–100
/100

»El Rapolao« ist quasi die Turboversion vom Valtuille Vino de Villa. Ebenfalls ein Mischsatz, mit 85% überwiegend Mencia, 10% Alicante Bouscet und wieder einem kleinen Teil weißen Sorten, die ein Mehr an Frische in diesen roten Blend mitbringen. Dieser Weinberg ist eine der begehrten, kühlsten Top-Parzellen in Valtuille, weshalb Cesar sich diese auch mit Raul Pérez und Diego Magaña teilt. Dementsprechend limitiert und rar, je nach Jahrgang nicht einmal 1.000 Flaschen Gesamtproduktion. Über 100 Jahre alte Reben, 550 Meter hoch gelegen. Der Boden ist geprägt von eisenhaltigem Lehm. Zunächst mit ausgesprochen würziger Nase von Nelke, schwarzem Pfeffer und erdigen Nuancen. Dann kommen reife Waldbeeren wie Brombeere, Cassis und Heidelbeere, auch Schwarzkirsche und Pflaume dazu. Nochmal deutlich dunkler und engmaschiger als der Village. Im Hintergrund auch Anklänge von rohem Fleisch und Eisen. Am Gaumen kickt dann die dichte Fruchtstruktur ordentlich rein und es kommt auch rote Frucht dazu. Rote Kirsche und feinsaure Johannisbeere. Schöne Balance, aber eben durchaus fleischige Stuktur und viel Kraft. Auch viel Tannin, was aber sehr samtig daherkommt, keinesfalls spröde oder austrocknend. Feste Textur mit genialer mineralischer Schärfe und Länge. Das ist genialer Stoff, braucht aber Zeit. Der beste Rapalao von Bierzo?!

Jahrgangsbericht

2023 war sehr warm, aber er ist deutlich kühler und balancierter als der noch heißere und trockenere 2022. Nicht so aufregend und extrem wie 2021, eher eine reife und harmonische Version von 2020. Und so ist 2023 durchaus eine Fortsetzung der so großen Jahrgänge seit 2019. Luis Gutierez, Parkers Mann für Spanien, fasst den Jahrgang 2023 anhand von Alvaro Palacios Weingütern ganz im Westen und ganz im Osten, somit Landesübergreifend so zusammen: 2023 was an even more generous crop than 2022 … the wines have better balance, and it doesn't feel like a warm year at all. In fact, the wines feel more like they come from a cool year. It's a vintage that has a tendency toward reduction, not as much as 2020, but still reductive. But it's an elegant, stony reduction...The quality of the 2023s is stunning. There is a level of precision, cleanliness, symmetry and elegance that, if the end of the élevage and the bottling goes as expected, I must conclude that 2023 might be the finest vintage ... There might be other individual wines that reach higher peaks, but as an overall portfolio, the vintage 2023 represents the strongest collection ever produced.

96+
/100

Parker über: El Rapolao

César's 2023 El Rapolao was sourced from a centenary plot in the coldest part of the village, where the soils are rich in iron and organic matter. It fermented with 30% full clusters in small 1,000-liter vats, with a short maceration of 17 days and an élevage in used 500-liter oak barrels. It comes in at 12.75% alcohol, a pH of 3.58 and 5.38 grams of acidity, with lower alcohol and more freshness and acidity than the previous vintage. This is a place with more rusticity, always a little earthier, with slightly dusty tannins. 1,911 bottles were filled in May 2025.

96
/100

Suckling über: El Rapolao

Red cherries and herbs on the nose, with hints of tapenade, elderberries and earth adding depth. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, marked by fine-grained yet firm tannins and a focused thread of dark fruit that carries through to a tight, linear finish. Drink now or hold.

95
/100

Tim Atkin über: El Rapolao

This is a refined yet honest take on the wilder side of Rapolao. Aromas of forest herbs like thyme and lavender, wrap around delicate berry fruit and hints of blueberry and licorice. The tannins are present but rounded, giving structure without rusticity. Vibrant acidity and a minty, lifted finish bring energy, while the signature meaty and ferrous core of Rapolao is enveloped in a velvety texture. A finessed yet authentic interpretation of the paraje.

Verkostungsnotiz

Weingut über: El Rapolao

In one of the coolest areas of the village and slowest ripening, we find El Rapolao, a place with several plots belonging to different winemakers. Its orientation, next to a large pine forest located at the top of the spot, makes the sunrise sun reach the vineyard 10-15 minutes later than to other Valtuille vineyards. The Rapolao is a wine from a plot with a west orientation and a slight fall towards the north. The intention of the wine is to represent the place intervening as little as possible on it, working as it was done before, with stems, without using pumps, using gravity. After a dry 2022 throughout Spain, 2023 began with a very cold, rainy winter with strong winds, like those of our childhood. Frost and cold days lasted until spring, which advanced with warm days, threatening an early bud break. After a warm and rainy May, temperatures dropped again in June. Then came more rains and thunderstorms along with some very hot days. This weather made us especially vigilant to avoid the appearance of mildew. July and August were characterized by moderate temperatures. In September the grape harvest began, with plenty of grapes but not very large bunches. It was a vintage like the ones of yesterday; the rains made us harvest many days with waterproof suits. A year with a rainfall of almost 900 litres/m2 has given us wines with more fluidity, reminding us of the 2001 or 2021 vintages. Fresh, floral and more delicate wines than the previous vintage. We picked the grapes manually to put them to ferment with 25% of stem, in containers of 1.000 liters. The grapes are softly stepped on, so that one part remains whole in the fermentation, which is carried out spontaneously by the yeast itself without adding any other. The maceration was carried out for 17 days, in which the work consisted of sinking daily the cap a bit manually, without breaking it. After, the bleeding and pressing is done to let the wine decant for 7 days. After this process, the wine is introduced in 500 liters barrels and left for a year.

César Márquez
Mein Winzer

César Márquez

César Márquez ist der Neffe des langbärtigen Bierzo Überflieger Winzers Raul Perez. Der talentierte junge Mann braucht den Vergleich aber nicht zu scheuen, denn er ist selbst bereits eines der aufsteigenden Talente in der spannenden spanischen Weinszene. César studierte zwar 2007 Önologie an der Uni...

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El Rapolao 2023

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