Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The just bottled, unoaked, entry level red, a favorite among the young Mencías, is the 2015 Pago de Valdoneje; this wine shows the character of 2015, which was a warm, ripe vintage that provided concentrated wines. This is juicy, ripe, very attractive and heady, quite open and showy. It even made me think of a young Port, with some herbal aromas, not because it's heavy at all, as the palate is really balanced and is medium-bodied. Power, character and rustic elegance at very affordable prices.
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.