César Márquez Pérez works old vine Godello and Mencía from small parajes in Bierzo, with red wines fermented in open barriques.
The producer
César Márquez Pérez works from Valtuille de Abajo in Bierzo, focusing mainly on micro vinifications of old vine Godello and Mencía from parajes. He studied oenology in Requena, then spent seven years with his uncle Raúl Pérez, including work at Castro Ventosa and helping him launch La Vizcaína. The solo project began with the 2015 vintage after the restoration of a building erected in the early 19th century that had once served as a wine cellar. Red Mencía with some interplanted Garnacha Tintorera is partially destemmed and fermented in open barriques.
Known for
Bierzo old vine paraje wines
Notable facts
César Márquez Pérez's family roots in Valtuille de Abajo reach back to 1752.
He owns under one hectare in inherited family plots, plus half a hectare in San Juan de Paluezas.
His solo project explores a Burgundy inspired classification system in Bierzo.
Parajes 2020 matured in seasoned barriques of at least fourth use and a 5,000 litre oak foudre.
The story
From Apprenticeship to Project
After studying oenology in Requena, César Márquez Pérez spent seven years working with his uncle Raúl Pérez, first at Castro Ventosa and then helping him launch La Vizcaína. He launched his own project with the 2015 vintage in his hometown, Valtuille de Abajo, after restoring a building erected in the early 19th century that had once served as a wine cellar. Historical deeds place his family's ancestral origin in the town in 1752. The project occupies the restored building in his hometown.
From the atlas
César Márquez Pérez
A Valtuille de Abajo project working old vine Godello and Mencía from small plot parajes in Bierzo, with a Burgundy inspired classification system.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Legal entity
Bodegas y Viñedos César Márquez, S.L.
Wine region
Bierzo
Home base
Valtuille de Abajo, León
Main grapes
Old vine Godello and Mencía
Vine parcels
Bush vines over 100 years old
Range
Burgundy inspired classification system
The Producer
After studying oenology in Requena, César Márquez Pérez spent seven years working with his uncle Raúl Pérez. His apprenticeship began at Castro Ventosa and included helping Raúl Pérez launch La Vizcaína.
César Márquez Pérez launched his own project with the 2015 vintage in his hometown of Valtuille de Abajo, after restoring a building erected in the early 19th century that had once served as a wine cellar. In 2017, he took charge of the family cellar.
Place
In the home village, the small plots called parajes contain mixtures of sand, clay, decomposed granite and stone. Their orientation and slope vary, and those differences yield widely differing characteristics. César Márquez Pérez owns under one hectare of vines in inherited family plots, plus half a hectare in San Juan de Paluezas.
Wines
His solo project explores a Burgundy inspired classification system in Bierzo. César Márquez Pérez focuses mainly on micro vinifications of old vine Godello and Mencía from parajes.
For the reds, Mencía grapes with some interplanted Garnacha Tintorera are partially destemmed and fermented in open barriques. After fermentation, the macerations are normally quite long. All wines spend 12 months in old barrels without racking or topping up before release the following winter.
Parajes 2020 matured in seasoned barriques of at least fourth use and a 5,000 litre oak foudre. It showed ripeness and concentration.
Final Word
Historical deeds place the family's ancestral origin in Valtuille de Abajo in 1752.