2018 was a special year in Bierzo. Not only it is a vintage of classic and excellent quality, but it was also the first vintage when Bierzo wines were released under the new quality classification system. Under the new rules, regions and vineyards are classified in a Burgundian system!

César Márquez is one of the “noteworthy” names behind this new trend, alongside with the superstars Descendientes de J. Palacios and Raúl Pérez - “he is a new name to watch in Bierzo” said Luis Gutiérrez.

César Márquez is the nephew of Raùl Pèrez. With a wealth of experience in Castro Ventosa, as well as with the Michelini family in Mendoza, he started his own project “César Márquez” in 2015. Márquez set out to make small production wines expressing indigenous Bierzo grape varietals like Mencía and Godello. Soils, altitudes and exposures are the key elements which differentiate the wines. Showcasing distinctive characters associated with different terroirs, his wines are definitely outperformers in the region!

We are so fortunate to have secured a tiny parcel of his minuscule production, including four reds and one white from his portfolio. All of the reds are blended 85% Mencía and 10% Alicante Bouschet.

Pico Ferreira, El Rapolao and Sufreiral are the only 3 single-vineyard reds produced in 2018. With a combined production of fewer than 2,500 bottles, these are ultra-rare reds which we are offering at an unbelievable price of HK$1,835 per case!

The highest-scoring wine in 2018 is the Sufreiral. Awarded an incredible 95+ points from Wine Advocate, this unique wine comes from an atypical, limestone-based vineyard perched on the mountainside. Gutiérrez says the wine has a style that “gravitates toward Burgundy” and praises its “fine tannins and sapidity of limestone”(95+ points). Only 721 bottles produced.

Pico Ferreira and El Rapolao score 94 points and 94+ points, respectively. Pico Ferreira comes from slate soil plot at 700m altitude, and the Mencía here is defined by “great finesse”, with enticingly “primary flavours” according to Gutiérrez. In contrast, the 94+ points El Rapolao is a north-facing plot that delivers “chalky sensation". There are only 752 and 984 bottles of each.

The 93+ points Las Firmas Mencía is a village red. It is a blend of several sites including an 80-year-old plot in the village of Valtuille de Abajo. This regional expression has a “floral, expressive and open” nose that impressed Luis Gutiérrez, who scored 93+ points (Wine Advocate). The only white wine in his portfolio is the 94+ points La Salvación, which is 100% rare local varietal Godello. This white spent one year on its lees and is “soil-driven” with “focused flavours” (Wine Advocate).

Within 3 vintages, César Márquez is already producing wines that match the quality of those made by his iconic uncle. No wonder Wine Advocate calls his a “new name to watch”.

The only problem is there are so few cases of each wine. These wines are so special and serious, that at a price of less than HK$310 per bottle, it is probably a question of getting them now or never! +Show Less