It's not easy to make sense of the similar labels and names, but the 2019 El Castro de Valtuille is a blend of different zones that matured in used barrels for one year, really a barrel selection. It has the 2019 character—complete, deep and balanced with ripeness and full flavors—with 13.5% alcohol, looking for freshness and drinkability. It's all old vines planted with a Mencía-based field blend, including some whites—Palomino and Do?a Blanca. 7,000 bottles produced. All of the 2019s were bottled between May and June 2021.

The very recently bottled 2018 El Castro de Valtuille is serious, a little closed but nuanced and layered, with the insinuating perfume of the great Mencías, produced with field blends from the old vineyards in the village of Valtuille, Garnacha Tintorera, Trousseau (Merenzao or Bastardo) and even some whites. This fermented with 50% full clusters in 5,000-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts (they don't spend a cent on yeasts here) and matured in 225- and 500-liter oak barrels for around one year. It has the profile of a grand vin, but it is sold at a very affordable price. It has a vibrant palate, with great freshness and very fine tannins, clean, long, tasty, clean... 7,000 bottles were filled in May 2020.

Mildew filled the 2016 vintage, so they jumped to the 2017 El Castro de Valtuille, a year that was not easy—it was very warm and dry and suffered frost. This fermented with 50% full clusters in stainless steel with a shorter maceration given the natural concentration of the grapes. This is already produced like the top ranges, with no pumps and very gentle handling in the winery. This comes from three parajes from the village, all old vines and thus a field blend where Mencía is the majority, but there are also small percentages of other grapes. It's polished and more developed, with abundant tannins that are going to require some hearty food. This is the only oaked red that they produced in 2017. 6,500 bottles. It was bottled in December 2018.

There was no 2014 bottled of this wine, so I tasted the 2015 El Castro de Valtuille, from a warm and powerful year when the challenge was to keep the balance and poise. They managed nicely with this old-vine cuvée from different plots in Valtuille. The wine matured in 225- and 500-liter oak barrels. It has earthy notes of truffle and forest floor and a compact palate with abundant fine-grained tannins, with character provided by its elegant rusticity. This has the profile of a more expensive wine, with depth and clout to develop in bottle for a decade. It's still quite young and lively. Very good value. 9,000 bottles.

The nose of the 2013 El Castro de Valtuille had a strong vegetal strike, perhaps because in 2013 it was produced with the fruit from their two coldest vineyards in Rapolao and La Vitoriana, and they used 50% (or even more) full clusters. Even though the soils are clay-based, it seems to have provided for a very cold profile, reminiscent of a Loire red. The texture is quite lean, alcohol is moderate (lower than 13%) and the tannins are very fine. This has a strong personality, it might not please everybody, and I think it should develop nicely in bottle. 14,000 bottles.