César Márquez ‘El Rapolao’ Mencia 2022

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About César Márquez

Young winemaker César Márquez has deep family roots in the Bierzo region. His introduction to winemaking was via uncle Raul (Pérez). And as an apprenticeship has worked in the family wineries, and spent time in Mendoza with the Michelini brothers. For his own project, started in 2015, he is exploring the possibilities of a Burgundy-inspired classification system in Bierzo. He works a number of parcels of over 100 year old bush vines around Valtuille de Abajo.

A rising star in Bierzo, César Márquez combines his work at Castro Ventosa, the family winery, with his own solo project where he uses the new categories of village and paraje wines recently approved by the DO.

Márquez was born and raised amongst vines and wines. After studying oenology in Requena (Valencia), he spent seven years working with his famous uncle Raúl Pérez, first at Castro Ventosa, then helping him to launch La Vizcaína, but in 2017 Márquez took the reins of the family cellar.

He started on his own in the 2015 vintage in his hometown, Valtuille de Abajo, after restoring a charming building erected in the early 19th century, which once served as a wine cellar. Since then, Márquez has centered his efforts on creating a solid range of wines rather than buying vineyards. He currently owns under one hectare of vines in various plots passed on from his family plus half a hectare in San Juan de Paluezas. In this village with whitish, chalky soils that are rare in Bierzo he wants to produce a top red that could eventually become Vino de Viña Calificada (the equivalent of a cru classée).

In the Vineyard

The range of wines starts with Parajes, a fresh regional, entry-level red that he has been producing since the 2016 vintage from grapes that he likes but don’t make the cut for other wines or do not have the quality he demands for his best reds. Valtuille de Abajo Vino de Villa was sold as Las Firmas until the 2019 vintage. Grapes are sourced from vineyards on sandy sites like Villegas, El Llano or El Val, plus El Rapolao or La Vega.

Except for the north-facing plot he uses for El Rapolao, the vinos de paraje (lieux-dit) made by Márquez explore other villages and soils beyond Valtuille. Pico Ferreira stands out for its freshness and finesse. Grapes are sourced from Zagalón, a steep site with poor slate soils and a northeast aspect in Corullón, at 710 metres above sea level. Sufreiral comes from the village of Toral de Los Vados, on the opposite side of the same mountain. At 620 metres elevation, the terrain is gentler, with limestone soils that enhance the mineral notes over the fruit and provide a different texture and length . This is probably the wine with the strongest personality in the range.

In the Winery

The winemaking in all his reds is quite similar, aiming to express the origin of the grapes over the winemaking process. In a nutshell, Mencía grapes – plus a little Garnacha Tintorera which grows in between – are partially destemmed and fermented in open barriques. Post-fermentation macerations are normally quite long, after which, all wines spend 12 months in old barrels without any racking or top ups before being released the following winter. Each has a different expression based on their soils, altitudes and expositions. His fresh, expressive Mencías show the promise of this grape in the right place and hands.

Where in the World is César Márquez?

César Márquez is based in Bierzo, in the north-west corner of Castilla y León, Spain on the border with region of Galicia. You can explore a detailed interactive map of the DO Bierzo here.