Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Castro Candaz is the latest project of Raúl Pérez and Rodrigo Méndez—partners at Forjas del Salnés in Rías Baixas. El Curvado is a selection from two vineyards in Chantada, on the left bank of the Río Asma, a tributary of the Miño. It’s planted primarily to mencía, with a mix of other varieties including domingo méndez (trousseau), garnacha tintorera and caiño. It’s vibrant with scents of cherries and charcoal and radiant red fruit flavors. The tannins are firm, the acidity sharp and the minerality intense, a delicious and compelling expression of the black slate of Ribeira Sacra.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Finca El Curvado comes from a vineyard planted on granite soils in the Chantada zone of Ribeira Sacra. The slopes are planted with mixed varieties, mostly Mencía with some Merenzao (aka Trousseau), Brancellao and even Godello. It fermented with full clusters in oak vats and aged in 500-liter oak barrels. The nose screams Ribeira Sacra, with great freshness as this Miño zone is a lot cooler than other parts of Ribeira Sacra. It has a mineral profile and a serious palate, and perhaps it's subtler on the nose.
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Wine Spectator
This red is light yet energetic. Berry and tart cherry flavors mingle with underbrush, tobacco and clove notes. Light tannins and racy acidity keep this lively through the floral, spicy finish. Expressive. Drink now through 2024.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.