Jose Luis Mateo Candea Tinto 2016
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Wine &
Spirits -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Bright garnet. On the nose, sour cherry and cranberry yield to candied violet, iron and a note of gaminess. On the palate, medium bodied and light on its feet. Bright red cherry and raspberry fruit with impressive concentration and clarity, leading to a savory finish of white pepper and wet stone.
The minerality and freshness of Candea Tinto make it a versatile pair. Grilled salmon, roasted poultry and charcuterie are all right in the wheelhouse for this savory, red-fruited wine.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
This is the kind of red wine that makes me smile—fresh, bright and pretty, with nothing complicated to get in the way. It tastes like a red-raspberry shrub made from deliciously ripe fruit, lasting with tart flavors of plum skin and bitter chocolate that give it an elastic snap. It’s a blend of equal parts mencía, bastardo (trousseau), garnacha tintorera and araúxa (tempranillo), grown in the hills just north of the border with Portugal. If you love great cru Beaujolais, check this out.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The red 2016 Candea Tinto is an easy-drinking, unoaked and fruit-driven blend of multiple grape varieties—Mencía, Arauxa, Garnacha Tintorera and Mouratón—from different vineyards in the village of Tamagos plus a little bit of Alicante Bouschet and Mouratón from 70-year-old vines. It fermented with one-third full clusters and indigenous yeasts and was kept in stainless steel for one year before it was bottled. This is much better than the 2015—sharper, more focused, more austere. It's still young and undeveloped, but it's serious while at the same time easy to drink. Truly outstanding for the price.
Rating: 91+
Candea, meaning “simplicity” or “purity,” is the newest entry level offering from Jose Luis Mateo.
Initially conceived as a “declassified” set of blends as a use for extra fruit, Candea is an ongoing project unto itself for Jose Luis. The goal behind these wines is to offer a clear picture of the special terroir of Monterrei as only Jose Luis can – but at a price point that is approachable for a wide array of wine lovers, from the casual every day drinker to the serious oenophile.
As proprietor of Quinta da Muradella, Jose Luis has been singlehandedly responsible for the codification and ascent of Monterrei, bringing it from an area best known for bulk production to one of the epicenters of fine wine production in Galicia. It is his dream and his tribute to his home that drives the ethos of his wines – indigenous varietals, minimal interventionist winemaking, and exalting terroir over all else. It is this drive that has catapulted Jose Luis into international recognition as one of Spain’s finest growers and winemakers. His wines are a beacon for those who seek clear evocation of place and an unadulterated look at this very singular terroir.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
The Monterrei wine region in the northwestern region of Galicia on the border of Portugal takes its name from 'Monterrey', which means “the king's mountain” in Castilian; Monterrei is the Galician spelling. The hilltop fortress of the area overlooks the vineyards, which run north to south. Compared to other regions, the area was awarded DO status later, in 1996, although it had won provisional DO status in the 1970s.
There is a slow comeback of native grapes and winemaking styles like those in other parts of Galicia—fresh, fruity white wines and young Mencía-based red wines. While there is new investment coming into the region's small family and cooperative bodegas, much of the wine is still sold in bulk and work with native varieties is still in the early stages, but pioneering bodegas are showing the potential of the vineyards. The DO supports this by awarding the Monterrei Superior label to wines made with 85% of any native variety.
The principal white wine varieties are Doña Blanca, Godello and Treixadura while the red wines are made primarily from Mencía and Bastardo (Trousseau).