Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
From a parcel of sandy soil and gravel. 2016 was a warm year and harvest began on 28 August. Mildew reduced the yield to one-third of the usual, and the alcohol is a little higher this year, so Perez did a shorter maceration to avoid heavy extraction. The wine has alluring aromas of mulberry and light smoke, with a notably rich and fleshy palate leading to a warm finish. Drinking Window 2019 - 2024
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.