Vanessa

9.1

Ribeira Sacra is a breathtaking region in Galicia, Spain, where the pigmented grape ‘Mencía’ plays a key role in winemaking, producing beautifully perfumed & ambrosial reds.

Just close your eyes & imagine steep slopes plunging down into deep river canyons, with historic terraced vineyards perched along the hillsides, gently curving & weaving along and above the Miño and Sil rivers.

Hopefully this helps paint a picture of Ribeira Sacra’s spectacular terrain but it’s worth searching for actual images (if you’ve never seen it).

The term ‘heroic viticulture’ aptly describes the type of farming that takes place here, where vignerons must perform all vineyard tasks by hand, risking life & limb, to bring these unique and authentic wines to our tables.

This 2019 ‘A Ponte’ is a prime example, thanks to Pedro Rodríguez of Guímaro (meaning “rebel” in Gallego), named after his grandfather with a nod to the fiercely independent & self-reliant local identity.

This wine is made with 30% Mencía accompanied by local, heirloom varieties Sousón, Brancellao, Merenzao, Caiño Redondo, & Caiño Longo) grown on granite, slate and sand.

After harvesting by hand, the grapes underwent a wild ferment using 100% whole clusters, contributing to the fruit-driven profile. This wine was then racked into large (and old) Burgundian oak barrels for about 14 months and bottled without fining or filtering.

The result is gulpably delicious, balanced, & complex. It is overflowing with expressive notes of muddled strawberry, ruby red grapefruit, leather, raspberry, plum, blueberry, mulberry, rhubarb sauce, rooibos tea, violet, bacon fat, forest floor, black cherry, black forest cake, fennel, black licorice, anise seed, and wet moss.

On the palate, it’s dry with an energetic acid profile, soft & fine tannins, medium alcohol (13% ABV), overall medium body, & a lingering finish.

This wine tells a story of heroism, history, & place. Not to mention it’s a highly versatile food-pairing wine, which begs for a shared meal with loved ones. Cheers! — a month ago

with Deked1

Delectable Wine

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9.2

Ruby-red. A wild, intensely perfumed bouquet displays spice-accented red and dark berries, incense and smoky minerals that expand with aeration. Silky, sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering intense black raspberry, cherry-cola and spicecake flavors that show outstanding clarity and spicy lift. Hangs on with incredible tenacity on the gently tannic finish, leaving juicy red fruit and candied lavender notes behind. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, March 2019) — 6 years ago

Robert Torretti

9.1

2015. Wow! What a great, classic and rustic wine. This is made with a blend of 60% red grapes including some of my favorites from Galicia - Granacha Tintorera (aka Alicante Bouchet), Mencia and Trousseau (they call it Portuguesa, but also known as Merenzao and Bastardo) - plus 40% white grapes including Palomino, Godello, and others. Made in stone lagares and amphora (Roman empire style clay pots). No note of wood, although some of their wines are later aged in large old oak bote. Great minerality, freshness of fruit, and both floral notes on the nose from the white varietals and tannins on the palate from the red varietals. Served lightly chilled but could benefit from a little more. — 7 years ago

Ted

9.3

Light bodied. Packed with a ton of flavor. I have loved everything from this producer. Mint and wet gravel to go along with beautiful red fruit. — 10 months ago

with Jeni

Martinez

8.9

Blend of Mencia, caiño and bastardo (aka merenzao or trousseau) from biodynamically farmed vineyards in Mandin (Monterrei, Galicia’s smallest and least known appellation). Whole-cluster fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Dark ruby color. Quite pleasant, slightly rustic nose with aromas of dark fruit, some herbal (eucalyptus?) and earthy notes. Fresh, quite dry on the palate, some cherry flavors, high acidity — 4 years ago

Ferran Escrivà

9.4

No harvest in Label. By Raúl Pérez. Wonderful, deep, fresh, very long. — 5 years ago

daniel fernandez

9.3

Uva merenzao en la ribeira sacra — 6 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.0

I was not that familiar with this varietal and so thought I would wiki for all interested: “Trousseau or Trousseau Noir, also known as Bastardo and Merenzao, is an old variety of red wine grape originating in eastern France. It is grown in small amounts in many parts of Western Europe; the largest plantations are today found in Portugal, where most famously it is used in port wine. It makes deep cherry red wines with high alcohol and high, sour candy acidity, and flavours of red berry fruits, often complemented - depending on production - by a jerky nose and an organic, mossy minerality.” ABV 13% — 2 years ago

Jaleh Rezaei

9.5

Spanish, biodynamic — 5 years ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

8.9

100% #VerdejoNegro, also called #Trousseau, #GodelloNegro, #Bastardo or #Merenzao.
Planting year of the vineyard: The vineyard is dated at the beginning of the 20th century. Located in the payment of Casamala. Only 12 strains Only 75 bottles
Soil: Boulder and sand on clay bottom.
Height above sea level: 900m.
Winemaking method: This is the only monovarietal elaboration of this breed in these wine lands. The grapes were collected on September 24, destemmed and fermented in a stainless tank until drained on October 2. After a month's rest, he moved to remove the lees. After another month of rest it ends up bottling without filtering in 75 bottles numbering them. This microvinification shows us how our ancestors knew the possibilities of these soils and the different castes to produce wines of the highest quality. No additives are used.
Tasting notes: Vivid color, medium high layer, marked acidity, slight bitterness, acidic fruit, pirouette, wild strawberries, cherries, blueberries, violets.
Recommended temperature: 17ºC
Alcohol: 12.5% ​​VOL Total So2: 9mg / l Total acidity: 5.95 g / l PH: 3.56 Sugar: 0.0A volatil: 0.87gr / l.
Number of Bottles: 75 numbered units of 75 cl. numbered
Certifications: Conventional cultivation is not certified in organic. It is made in #naturalwine. — 6 years ago