You can think of the municipality of Valtuille as a kind of Vosne-Romanée of the Bierzo. There are more outstanding wines and top producers here than in probably any other place in Bierzo. Alongside El Rapolao, La Vitoriana is one of the top vineyards. Rapolao is more of an exciting and energetic high vineyard like the 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts, whereas La Vitoriana is more like the 1er Cru Les Suchots with darker fruit and seductive depth. The Castro Ventosa wine from this site is made from an ancient parcel, partly pre-phylloxera vines. Very ripe black cherry pours from the glass, with lots of dark rock, flint and charcoal underneath, then sweeter notes of clove pepper and licorice emerge. There is also some saffron and blond tobacco. The intense and very complex spiciness of the Mencia comes into its own breathtakingly well with the high maturity of La Vitoriana. In the mouth, it runs on a symphony of vibrant red and tart, powerful dark cherries. Wow, this has a lot of pressure in the mouth, but remains very fine. El Rapolao is usually a little more chiseled and slender, Vitoriana comes with rich ripeness, uncompromising minerality and high fruit intensity and simply blows everything away. The furious finish is infused with a dark minerality reminiscent of pencil shavings and graphite and sweet spice notes. The tannins only cling to the palate after an extended length, when you hardly expect them. Thanks to the brilliant acidity and the salty rock character that rolls up again and again, La Vitoriana is simply superb to drink despite its voluptuous ripeness. Enormous concentration and yet it remains so fine and polished on the finish. What a dimension in this wine! In four to five years, this wine will really take off. An amazing wine. Unfortunately, only 400 bottles are produced each year.