Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The old Aires de Vendimia Mencía de Valtuille is now the 2019 Valtuille Vino de Villa, a village wine produced with Mencía and some 15% white grapes (Doña Blanca, Palomino and Godello) from different old vineyards (80 to 100 years old) on clay, sand and stone soils. It fermented in oak foudre with 80% full clusters and matured in French barriques for one year and a further three months in foudre. It showcases the juicy and red fruit character of the wines from Valtuille. It has abundant, slightly powdery tannins and a dry finish.
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.