Armas de Guerra Tinto 2016
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Smoke-accented aromas of blueberry, blackberry and dark chocolate. Displays bitter cherry and dark chocolate flavors and a hint of candied flowers. Building tannins come on late and add grip to the finish, with the blueberry and floral notes echoing. Mencia is grown in Spain's northwestern Bierzo, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras, regions known for seriously old vines and slate and granite soils that give the wines balance and minerality.
Mencia pairs extremely well with steak tartar, calamari and goat cheese.
Other Vintages
2021- Decanter
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Wong
Wilfred
Primarily found in the Bierzo, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras regions of Spain and in the Dão of Portugal (where it is called Jaen), Mencia is an early ripening, low acid grape that can produce wines of great concentration, complexity and ageability. And yet Mencia once suffered from a poor reputation and deemed capable of producing simple and light red wines. Post-phylloxera growers would grow this variety on low, fertile plains, which produced high yields and uncomplicated finished wines. Somm Secret—The recent rediscovery of the ancient, abandoned vines planted on rugged hillsides of deep schist has unveiled the potential of Mencia and added discredit to its old reputation.
One of the few northwestern Spanish regions with a focus on a red variety, Bierzo, part of Castilla y León, is home to the flowery and fruity Mencia grape. Mencia produces balanced and bright red wines full of strawberry, raspberry, pomegranate, baking spice, pepper and black licorice. The well-drained soils of Bierzo are slate and granite.