Winemaker Notes
A field blend from one of the oldest and most heroic vineyards in Valdeorras, Avancia Mencía Viñas Viejas is a small production wine that exemplifies the style of the reds of Valdeorras - ethereal, mineral, floral, lifted, but with a glass staining youthful concentration that sets itself from other Galician reds. As a northern oriented vineyard site, Aeiróa ripens patiently and late in the season, which allows the grapes to maintain high levels of acidity and balance. A percentage of carbonic maceration and stem inclusion brings a crunchy texture and lift to an otherwise powerful wine.
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2022 Mencía Nobleza hails from Aeiroá in the Sil River Valley, where vines face north. Aged for eight months in French oak, this wine presents aromas of dark fruit, blood and intense pomegranate, alongside subtle oak influence. The dry vintage eliminated the oregano note that appeared in 2021, resulting in firmer tannins, greater concentration and a vibrant, energetic palate with juicy and focused flavors.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Nobleza Mencia is gorgeous. Based on 100% Mencía, it has beautiful ripe black cherry and darker mulberry-like fruit as well as some peppery herb, leather, and graphite aromatics. These carry to a medium-bodied red that's beautifully balanced, has fine tannins, and a wonderful sense of freshness.
-
James Suckling
Smoked herbs and some wood spices on top of the thorny fruit. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate, with fleshy, mid-palate fruit and fine-grained tannins. Pretty pristine and extensive, highlighting the fluffy texture without losing any freshness. Drink from 2025.
-
Wine Spectator
Fresh and minerally, with flavors of ripe mulberry and damson plum laced with appealing details of violet, lavender, mountain herbs and graphite. This is well-knit and fluid on the palate, with light, chalky tannins firming the finish of white pepper and paprika. Drink now through 2032. 500 cases made, 250 cases imported.
-
Wine Spectator
Fresh and minerally, with flavors of ripe mulberry and damson plum laced with appealing details of violet, lavender, mountain herbs and graphite. This is well-knit and fluid on the palate, with light, chalky tannins firming the finish of white pepper and paprika. Drink now through 2032. 500 cases made, 250 cases imported.
Bodegas Avancia lies snuggled in the slate dominant mountainsides of Valdeorras, high above the Sil River. Named for the extensive gold mining that the Romans conducted in this area, (Val-de-Oras roughly translates to Valley-of-Gold in Latin) Valdeorras is home to the finest terroir for growing two of Spain’s most important indigenous grapes – Godello and Mencía.
Jorge was the first broker to introduce Godello into the United States, and for many years, was the only merchant offering a wine made from this unique grape. Jorge always dreamed of having his own Godello project, and Bodegas Avancia is the result of this dream. Bodegas Avancia produces the finest Godello wines in all of Spain.
In 2016, Robert Parker, Jr. stated “One of my favorite wineries in Spain is Bodegas Avancia. This is a small estate of roughly 23 acres, dry farmed (a characteristic of all of the selections of Jorge Ordóñez), with organic viticulture. Their specialty is working with the Godello grape, which may well be Spain’s finest indigenous white grape. It has the texture of a Chardonnay, but with crisp, mineral and floral notes in its aromatics. Avancia is certainly the top producer of this intriguing and delicious dry white.” Jorge also selected D.O. Valdeorras due to its unique conditions for growing Mencía, Galicia’s most important red grape. The combination of slate soils, high altitudes, old vines, and warmer climate compared to the rest of Galicia provide Valdeorras with the best terroir for growing Mencía.
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.
Just to the south of Bierzo, the steeply terraced Valdeorras Spanish wine region is a respected source of both red and white wines. Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) and Mencía are the principal red varieties while Godello and Palomino compose the majority of this region's whites.