Mencia Joven - Mencia&co.

85% Mencia & 15% Brancellao, Merenzao, Garnacha Tintorera, Mouratón, Negreda, Sousón, Caíño | selectie van terraswijngaarden | 70% langs de Río Sil (leisteen en graniet) en 30% langs de Río Minho (zand, kwarts en leisteen) | whole bunch | vergisting in staaltank, semi carbonische start | rijping op de lie in staaltank voor 8 maanden | sappig | aards | wilde kruiden | puur rood fruit | krokant | fijn zuren | zo fraai als een grote Morgon uit de Beaujolais 

Guímaro

Na twintig jaar hard werken heeft Pedro een prachtig domein gecreëerd dat klaar is voor de toekomst. Het bezoek aan de wijngaarden is indrukwekkend! Wat een helden werk wordt hier verricht om het mogelijk te maken deze unieke wijnen te bottelen! Zo steil en dus alles met hand! Er is geen enkele twijfel over de succesvolle toekomst van Guímaro, mede doordat Gutiérrez van Parker al meerdere malen de Finca Capeliños als beste wijn van Galicië heeft uitgeroepen! All time favourite!

Review

The young red 2021 Vino Tinto is one of the first 2021 reds from Galicia that I taste from bottle. 2021 is supposed to be a return to the conditions of the vintages from yesteryear—cooler and with less ripeness, lower alcohol and more acidity but also viticultural challenges. This is always a sure value, and it is mostly Mencía with some 15% other local reds (Brancellao, Merenzao, Garnacha Tintorera, Mouratón, Negreda, Sousón, Caíño...) sourced from old vineyards. It is young and fermented in stainless steel and was kept in contact with the lees for four to eight months before being bottled unoaked. This has a pale and bright color, denoting youth. The nose is very expressive and showy. It's low in alcohol (12.5%) and is a little lighter, fresh, fruit-driven and easy to drink. It was bottled a couple of weeks before I tasted it, in late January. 120,000 bottles produced. Luis Gutiérrez 91/100

Pedro "Guímaro" thinks 2019 could be one of the finest vintages of recent times, with textbook conditions and a perfect (and long) cycle for the grape. 2020 was a warmer vintage than 2019, but the profile of the wines is still quite fresh although with a little more alcohol. It was a low-yielding year—25% or 30% less than normal—which, combined with one week of very warm weather, increased the ripeness and concentration. 2021 can be considered a classic vintage in the style of yesteryear, with a very fresh wine profile. It was a very challenging year in the vineyards, with lots of rain and cold weather, a little in the style of 2013. Yields were generous. They are experimenting with granite eggs and also testing fortified wines with the great help of Niepoort, with whom they also produce a dry red, Ladredo. In 2020 there will be two new wines, one Miño and one Sil, and the 2018 and 2019 from the granite eggs, but the wines were not ready when I tasted.