Mencia

Starting with its gorgeous, deeply-pigmented color, continuing to its wonderfully pure flavors, then proceeding to its virtually perfect balance between juicy, dark cherry fruit and freshening acidity, and culminating in a finish that retains all of the wine’s charms as they tail off slowly and symmetrically, this is among the best young, un-oaked renditions of Mencía that I’ve ever tasted (and I’ve tasted LOTS of them—both in the USA and during three trips to the region). I know the foregoing was a “run-on sentence,” but the grammarians who read it disapprovingly should taste the wine and then see if enthusiasm doesn’t carry them to extreme lengths as well. I’ve been maintaining (in published reviews) for 25+ years that Mencía is among the world’s most under-rated varieties, as it can make marvelous wines when made in an ultra-simple way like this one, but can also achieve remarkable complexity when sourced from old, head-pruned vines grown at high elevations and treated to lots of new, fancy French oak. A relatively un-adorned example such as this proves the point even more effectively than the expensive, “high expression” bottlings, and you should absolutely try this wine if you encounter a bottle. Offering pure pleasure already but still capable of becoming more complex with a few more years in bottle, this is just terrific. 93 Michael Franz

Style ,crisp, juicy. Colour ,bright cherry, purple rim. Aroma ,fresh fruit, fruit expression, wild herbs, varietal. Flavour ,fruity, good acidity.