A perfect moment for La Perdida - 2021s and rare parcel wines from Nacho Gonzalez
1/23/23 -
Though it's always a wonderful moment when we receive new wines from La Perdida - an estate run by the passionate and humble Nacho Gonzalez in Galicia, Spain - this particular moment is worthy of word 'perfect,' as we are able to offer several wines from the 2021 vintage as well as his never-before-released parcel wines from 2019 and 2020! What could only be called 'micro-cuvees,' with 300-400 total bottles of each produced, these new explorations into the old hillside vineyards of Valdeorras (and beyond) are fascinating and beautiful wines that lend a new dimension to the story that Nacho is telling through the La Perdida project.
In a way, Nacho truly is a storyteller - of his unique corner of the world and the practically unknown obscure local varieties of the region - but he is first and foremost a farmer and a caretaker of local flora (and fauna for that matter). When you meet him for the first time, you can tell he is a person who is immensely proud of the special place he comes from, and ecstatic (literally beaming) to be able to share an artisinal expression from his land and his home. I have tasted with him in Spain and the US, and his appreciativeness and warmth towards everyone who he tastes with is infectious! He may be one of the most selfless winemakers I've ever met, and when you consider his story - the countless years he's spent recuperating abandoned vineyards, his connection to his grandmother and his village and surrounding area - it does seem like he might genuinely see himself as a medium. I'm not sure he cares about international acclaim or "making it" in the wine world, as his joy over sharing the wines with strangers seems to completely satiate him. Maybe I'm glossing a bit, but if you meet him, you'll understand immediately!
Since beginning his La Perdida project, Nacho has experimented with fermentations in various vessels and vats, different types of extraction and infusion, and aging vessels from amphoras to used French barrels and stainless steel. His wines have become more and more focused over the years, and his winemaking more intentional. At this point, I feel he is in full stride, and the wines are showing beautifully. I have had experiences with these wines that bring me back every year, but I will be the first to admit that there are times when Nacho's wines seem to be in a stage of evolution. To that effect, sometimes they can be subdued, other times, exploding with rustic aromatics and verve, a special spice, and a level of elegance that is captivating. Though 2021 was not a particularly easy year in the vineyards (a lot of rain, issues with mildew), it is a vintage that he's proud of - one with a lot of hard work and good results - and for the first time I found everything to be delicious across the board! Usually in a lineup, certain cuvees are open, friendly and immediately charming, while others can seem young or closed, in need of time in the bottle. This round, it was one after another of compelling and balanced wines that were quite expressive and ready to drink, in some cases to age as well.
The history of the Perdida project is well documented in newsletters we've written over the years, so we will summarize here, quoting our esteemed former colleague, Ben Fletcher: "Nacho Gonzalez is a biologist by training. He has been making wine in Valdeorras since 2012. He inherited a vineyard ('O Trancado') from his grandmother. Planted with old vines of Garnacha Tintorera and Mencia, it was in poor shape. He set out to revive it. In doing so, and in continuing to seek out and revive old vineyards in the area, he created one of the most unique wine projects in Spain. The wine region of Valdeorras is increasingly commercialized and industrialized, as large conglomerates move in to produce inexpensive bulk wines. This has led Nacho Gonzalez to search out remote, isolated, difficult to work sites of neglected vines. La Perdida (the lost) is a fitting name for his work. He brings life to these ancient vineyards with careful organic and biodynamic farming. In the cellar and in the vineyard, Nacho is a traditionalist. He employs the Tinaja (a specially-shaped clay amphora) and continues to work and vinify wine from vineyards co-planted with red and white grapes. He often coferments the grapes from these sites, and all of his wines made from white grapes see skin-contact. All vinification and bottling is done without additives and by hand." For further reading, click here to view the producer bio on the Jose Pastor Selections website.
Looking at pictures of Nacho in his vineyards, I've realized that there is a story that wouldn't be told without him. He is the sole person caring for these forgotten vineyards and forgotten grapes that certainly would be "los perdidos" if not for him. These are the least industrial wines that could possibly exist, coming from bush vines, untrained wild vineyards on remote hills scattered around Valdeorras, terraced old vineyards that Nacho spends years personally recuperating through regenerative agriculture. Without him, they would go wild, in inconvenient locations, with no potential to be worked mechanically, requiring sweat and comittment that most would never commit to. These are wines that express a sense of place like none other, and we have this one humble artisan to thank for that. Thank you Nacho!
-Eben Lillie, with thanks to the team at Jose Pastor Selections!
