Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Delineated, precise and elegant berries with subtle white pepper funk, mineral and white sesame characters make this so attractive. Nimble and almost “Atlantic” with fresh, tangy fruit that follows through to a textured, medium-bodied palate full of silky, mineral-textured tannins. The long, even and cohesive finish is persistent and ethereal. From organically grown grapes. Delicious now, but don’t underestimate its potential for aging, as balance is the key.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The bottled 2021 Las Lamas started a little closed and took some time to unfurl in the glass. It developed some medicinal notes, hints of dry roses and spices with fine but slightly dusty tannins, not as refined as those from Moncerbal. It develops further notes with more time in the glass, white flowers. There's more clay here and more organic matter than in Moncerbal, so the cooler nights don't manage to cool the soil down; the grapes have a more steady ripeness, and the wines are a little more generous.
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Vinous
The 2021 Las Lamas is Mencía and others from Corullón, Bierzo. Deep garnet in hue, it reflects slightly riper harvest decisions compared to other wines from the producer. Pomegranate tones come across as jammy, combined with plum. Broad and slightly plush, its fine-grained tannins provide structure without being restrictive. It is long, finishing with ripe fruit and moderate juiciness.
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.