One hundred percent Mencía from a 60-year-old vineyard that lies 750 meters above sea level. The grape is native to this region and can make a perfumed, powerful wine. This one spent a year in French oak, half new, and it’s slightly closed at first—give it twenty minutes of air. But then it’s tangy and peppery, light-textured, with red and black bramble berries in its midsection. The finish spicy, not from oak but seemingly from the fruit itself, which feels cinnamon-y and pleasantly piquant.
Pair it with Spanish tapas: jamón and chorizo, sheep’s milk cheese, pan con tomate, fried sardines, papas bravas in romesco sauce. Or just a glass.
13.5% abv | $22 (sample)
