This spring has brought us great news from Paradores de Turismo. Our premium wine Bercial Ladera Los Cantos, has become part of their select wine list thanks to a demanding selection process, in which Bercial has obtained the highest rating in all categories and, therefore, also in the category in which it competed: ‘Vino tinto de pago, paraje o otras calificaciones de Valencia o Utiel-Requena’.

To reach the final result, the candidate wines have gone through several rounds of blind tastings in a process that has lasted more than a year. In the tasting, Bercial Ladera Los Cantos obtained the highest overall score of all the participants, with 11 points out of 12. This, added to the evaluation of the product’s presentation, gave it a final score of 90 out of 100.

Bercial is the brand of the most special wines we produce, and it is made up of two wines, Ladera Los Cantos and Blanco Selección. Both are site wines, made with grapes selected from the best plots within the 130 ha. of vineyards we have in Camporrobles, a special location within the Requena-Utiel region as it is at the highest altitude (920 metres). The altitude at which the vineyards are located is important, as the grapes offer better evolution and quality at higher altitudes. This is due to the considerable difference in temperature between day and night to which the grapes are exposed, especially in the months prior to the harvest.

A wine from old vineyards

Bercial Ladera Los Cantos is made with the native grape of the DOP Utiel-Requena, Bobal, vinified in harmony with Cabernet Sauvignon. Both varieties come from old organic vineyards, more than 60 years old in the case of Bobal and more than 40 years old in the case of Cabernet, vineyards of low production and, at the same time, to compensate, of excellent quality. In the final process of its elaboration we have taken it to 100% French oak barrels where it has undergone malolactic fermentation and there it has remained for 18 months.

If you are one of those who have already enjoyed this great red wine, we have little to tell you. However, if you are wondering what this very special wine tastes like, we can tell you that it is fine in aromas, fresh and elegant, with hints of cocoa and ripe fruit over a background of undergrowth. Complex and expressive. On the palate it is oily, round and medium-bodied. Its tannins are silky within a light structure but, at the same time, with great persistence and elegance.

The 2016 vintage of Bercial Ladera Los Cantos, which is the one selected by Paradores de Turismo, has already received other distinctions, such as 90 points in the Peñín Guide 2020.