Though its Castillian neighbor, Bierzo, is a more recognized name when it comes to producing high-quality varietal Mencia, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras in Galacia definitely deserve their own recognition for the quality of this grape. With steep slate/granite slopes and overlooking the River Minho and River Sil, the “Sacred Riverbank” is ideal for high-quality Mencia.
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Now if you haven’t had Mencia before, it feels like a wonderful intersection between Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. It tends to be berry-forward, perfumed, herbal, and with a nice richness of round tannins and a smoky minerality. If you want to taste such a wine, this wine here by @rectoraldeamandi is a great place to start.
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Mostly Mencia (85%, with Garnacha and Souson making the difference), from 60-year-old vines, hand-harvested, fermented spontaneously without inoculation, and aged without oak.
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This wine is indeed berry-forward, with notes of strawberries, fresh raspberry, wild berries, and red plums. There is a nice herbal counterbalance to all the fruit and a hint of rocky crispness on the palate. I thought the wine evolved too after a few days with oxygen. It went from very front palate loaded and berry focused, to some more herbal and mineral character, which is nice to see with any wine, especially one below $30.
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Overall the wine has a juicy freshness to it with round tannins and nice crisp acidity.
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To conclude, this is a very pleasurable, fruited wine. There is also good acidity to it, which with Mencia can sometimes be a struggle. I would be interested to see this wine’s evolution over a few more years, but it’s tough to resist not enjoying it now.
by Between2Worlds369
2 Comments
Thanks for the notes. Do you know of any stylistic differences between Bierzo, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras? I’ve had wines from all those areas but never thought about it myself.
Just a heads up: Bierzo is Leonese not Castilian