Terraced vineyards overlooking the Ribeira Sacra in Galicia, Spain.
With the weather becoming autumnal, I’ve got mencía (men-thee-ah) on my mind. With its medium weight, firm structure and floral and red fruit flavours, I’m enjoying this delicious Spanish red. I find mencía kind of like cabernet franc - having said that, it can also have the aromatic depth of pinot, and the intensity of syrah.
“If you get the opportunity to taste a good bottle, with its haunting, exotic wildflower, licorice and fruit flavors, you can't help but remember it,” NY Times.
“Mencía contains high levels of a sub-group of aromatic compounds called terpenoids which translate into lovely flowery aromas, strawberry, raspberry, black licorice, pomegranate and cherry sauce. When you look at a glass of Mencía, you’ll notice its deep red color with subtle hues of violet towards the rim. The color tells us that Mencía has high anthocyanin (the red pigment in wine). On the palate you’ll be greeted with peppery flavors of sour cherry, red currant and pomegranate along with a bitter cherry pit flavor which comes from the wine’s tannin. In the regions where it grows in Spain and Portugal, you will taste a subtle crushed gravel or granite-like minerality in the texture, which often contributes to its black peppery taste,” Wine Folly.
Map: Galicia lies in the north west corner of Spain.
“What was once tragically misused as a workhorse, being churned into simple regional table wine is now, with the proper love and handling in both the vineyard and winery, making some of the most unique and exciting wines in Spain. Mencía varies from lighter to medium bodied but almost always with a perfume of wild herbs and florals with flavours of smoky earth, berries and spice,” Movida Restaurant, Melbourne.
While mencía is grown widely across northwest Spain as well as in Portugal (where it’s known as Jaen), the three regions most associated with variety are Bierzo, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras. I’ve offered wines from Bierzo in the past, so time to introduce the other two.
Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras both sit within the region of Galicia, in the very northwest corner of Spain, bordered by the Atlantic on both the north and west. Its stunning rocky coastline is characterised by ‘rias’ (river valleys or coastal inlets) that often reach tens of kilometres inland. Its close proximity to the ocean profoundly affects its climate, which is wet with high rainfall (1,600mm pa), sea fogs and moderate temperatures. Interestingly, as well as grapes there are also major plantings of eucalyptus trees (for timber and paper) in Galicia.
Galicia has five DOs (Denominación de Origen), now widely called DOPs (Denominación de Origen Protegida): Rías Baixas (which has 5 sub regions), Ribeiro, Monterrei, Valdeorras and Ribeira Sacra.
Valdeorras (Valley of Gold) is the most easterly wine area in Galica, located on the banks of the river Sil around the towns of O Barco and A Rua. Referred to as the ‘Gateway to Galicia’, Valdearras sits between Ribeira Sacra (to its west) and Bierzo (in Castilla y Leon, to its northeast). The famed Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage route that ends in Santiago de Compostela, has several routes across Europe, with the so-called Winter Road, passing directly through O’Barco in Valdeorras.
Walkers on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage to Compostela Cathedral, Galicia, Spain.
Protected from the Atlantic by mountains to the west, the climate is predominantly continental, ie. warm summers, cold winters and not as wet as the coastal areas. The area has a viticultural history dating back to Roman times, when vines were planted after the area had been mined by the Romans for gold. Monastic orders continued with viticulture through the Middle Ages, but the area went into decline soon after. The area remerged and gained DO (appellation) status in 1945, but really only got came to prominence in the last 30 years or so. The area’s most planted variety has traditionally been the indigenous white godello, but more recently “mencía is now almost neck and neck with godello in production terms.” Decanter 2021.
One of Valdeorras’ most renowned estates is Bodegas Valdesil.
Valdesil Valdeorras Mencía 2019
Back in 1885, José Ramón Gayoso planted the first 100% godello vineyard in Valdeorras, naming it Pedrouzos. Over time the family sold off their numerous other small vineyards (pezas), but managed to retain Pedrouzos, which today is the oldest producing godello vineyard in the world. In 2001, descendants began the process of reacquiring the pezas and have since regained ownership of all of them. These ancient vineyards, which include more recent plantings of mencía, are at the heart of the estate’s success.
Currently at the helm of this pioneering, estate are fourth generation, Borja and Raul Prada Luengo. The couple continue to work each precious peza separately and are trialling biodynamic methods.
This is the estate’s entry-level red, with the fruit coming from old bush vines planted between 500 and 550m on the south-facing, slate-rich slopes on the mountainous eastern edge of Valdeorras. The grapes were handpicked and fermented, using natural yeasts, in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks, to retain as much freshness as possible. Post ferment, the wine spent a further 8 months ageing in stainless steel tanks.
“The rocky soils, high altitude and cold Atlantic weather patterns have helped sculpt a lifted, racy, tangy Galician red with stunning spice and drive. It’s a bright and juicy cherry scented red, with some floral and spice notes, lithe powdery tannins and a spotless, refreshing finish. Try stopping at one glass.” Bibendum Wine Co.
Mencia bush vines on the Valdesil estate.
“Mencía from the slate slopes of Valdeorras. Full of freshness and lightness, it shows the Atlantic side of the variety with its delicious red fruit notes intermingled with spices.” Winemaker’s notes.
Lively and delicious.
I can offer it for $29 a bottle.
The idyllic and dramatic vineyards of Ribeira Sacra are planted on the steep valleys and spectacular canyons of the Mino and Sil rivers. With slopes reaching up to 85 degrees, the term ‘heroica’ (heroic) viticulture is used by the locals who work them by hand. The area’s combination of fertile soils and isolation lead to a number of monasteries and Romanesque churches being built across the area during medieval times, many of which still stand today, making it the largest concentration of monastic heritage in Europe.
Vintage is a precarious affair on the Algueira estate.
Ribera Sacra received DO (appellation) status in 1996 and, unlike the rest of Galicia which focuses on whites, specialises in red wines from mencía, which accounts for the vast majority of production. You can still find whites though, most notably godello.
“Since 2005 the region has won growing acclaim, particularly in the United States, where its top producers Algueira, Guímaro, Dominio do Bibei, Raúl Pérez, Ponte da Boga, and Envínate enjoy a certain cult status.” Oxford Wine Companion.
Algueira Mencía Joven 2019
Algueira was founded in 1980 by Fernando Gonzalez and Ana Perez and has gone on to become one of the region’s most celebrated estates. Behind their success lies the painstaking restoration by hand cultivation, of abandoned, ancient vineyards. The vineyards are based in Ribera Sacra’s prestigious Amandi subzone, where the dizzyingly steep slopes rise from the river Sil.
Due to the extreme nature of the sites, cultivation is diabolically slow, but from humble beginnings, González and Pérez now have 20 hectares of vines, tended mostly using biodynamic practices. Today they have been joined by son Fabio González Riveiro as well as young winemaker David Pascual.
“[Algueira’s] wines and spectacular vineyards have been praised by The New York Times and Le Figaro, so are better known internationally than in Spain itself. The wines of Algueira are considered by many the finest and most elegant in Ribeira Sacra.” The Finest Wines of Rioja and Northwest Spain, Jesús Barquín et al.
“These [Ribera Sacra reds] are lively, graceful wines, with the same sort of aromatic loveliness and lissome body that draws people to Burgundy and Barolo.” Eric Asimov.
“Mencía is Algueira’s paragon variety, producing aromatic wines of silky balance, clarity, and mineral resonance.” Bibendum Wine Co.
The Joven is 100% mencía, made from the estate’s younger vines. It’s fermented using natural yeasts and sees no oak.
“Cherry red and medium layer, very clean and bright wine. On the nose, once the reductive notes typical of the variety disappear, there is an explosion of red fruit (raspberry, cherry) and blackberries, which, together with the combined lactic notes, remind us of trinkets (strawberry lollipops). And with very present mineral notes (graphite). The attack on the palate is fresh, but as it runs through the mouth, we find an enveloping, warm wine that reflects the excellent relationship between acidity and glycerin.” Winemaker’s notes.
Algueira estate's priority is quality over quantity, creating wines that genuinely expresses the unique identity of the region.
“The textbook varietal 2019 Mencía shows the rustic personality of the region through the grapes from different places. It has a moderate 13% alcohol and very good freshness for a grape that does not have very high acidity. It's nicely textured, pleasant and juicy, not terribly complex but really pleasant.” 90 points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate.
A great review from the Advocate for a wine of this price.
I can offer it for $38 a bottle.
