"As is the case with the La Nave bottling from Casa Aurora, this wine is not technically in the D.O. of Bierzo, as the vineyards lie just outside the present day border of the region, but for all intents and purposes, it is Bierzo and I list the wine in this section, no matter what the letter of the law may say. The 2021 Clos Pepín bottling from Germán Blanco is made from a field blend of old vine, traditional Galician red grapes, with no one really quite sure any more which varieties are planted in each parcel. The wine is a bit reductive when first poured and needs a bit of aeration to blossom, but once it does, it offers up a superb bouquet of dark berries, a bit of smoked meats, dark soil tones, black tea, graphite, sweet botanicals and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a rock solid core of old vine fruit, superb mineral drive and grip, ripe, well-measured tannins and excellent length and grip on the well balanced finish. This is an excellent wine- just give it a bit of cellaring to properly soften up its backend tannins! 2031-2075+."