Aires de Vendimia Mencía de Valtuille - Mencia

Mencia + 15% witte druiven | selectie van de oudste stokken in Valtuille de Abejo uit de top Paraje percelen La Tias, Moncerbal en San Martín | 80% whole buch, de rest ontsteeld, vergist en gerijpt op eikenhout | intens | rijk | veel structuur | gul | vullend | grote wijn van een groot terroir! 

Jose Garcia

Bierzo, een gebied wat zich in 15 jaar heeft ontwikkeld tot een van de topgebieden van Spanje. Gelegen tussen Galicie en Castila Y Leon, vinden wij Jose Garcia, een wijnmaker die staat voor identiteit en herkenbaarheid in de wijn van de regio Bierzo. Zijn rode top cuvée's uit Corullón en Valtuille zijn bijzonder fraai. Er komt eind 2020 een speciale botteling van een single vineyard 'El Piq de Lugar' een micro plot van 0,4 ha naast Faroane (Palacios) geplant door de opa van Jose. De witte wijn die hij maakt hebben een pittig Mediterraans karakter, eigenzinnig van oude klonen Godello met soms een ontwikkeld randje. Het rood mooi puur en diep en verfijnd. Een nog jong wijnhuis met een enorme potentie!

Review

The red 2016 Aires de Vendimia Mencía de Valtuille is nothing like the previous vintages I have tasted. The wine has seen a great improvement and has a clean and floral nose, with contained ripeness and integrated oak. The palate is juicy, with round tannins, a soft texture and clean, persistent flavors. Very tasty. It reflects a general change I've noticed in the winery, where all wines have gained in elegance and precision—the fruit is more focused; ripeness is perfect; and the élevage respects the wines and helps them express the variety, place and vintage. 2016 was not an easy year, but the result is phenomenal. The fine fermented in foudre with full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in oak barrels of different sizes for 15 months. 4,700 bottles were filled in October 2017.

I encountered a bottle of 2016 when I was in Bierzo, and I was impressed; it was light years ahead of what I had tasted a couple of years before. I later bumped into José Antonio in Valtuille, where he has his winery, but I didn't really have time to taste then. He finally sent me samples, and I tasted them at Christmas time at home, and I'm glad I did, as the wines have seen a great improvement since I last tasted them. Luis Gutierrez 92/100 

Like the rest of the wines, the 2018 Aires de Vendimia Mencía de Valtuille is quite impressive, elegant, clean and fresh, with neatly integrated oak, a fluid mouthfeel, fine tannins and good harmony. It's nicely textured, and the roughly 15% white grapes found in the old vineyards surely contributes to the finesse and freshness. It fermented in oak foudre with 80% full clusters and native yeasts and finished fermenting without the skins after being pressed (like a white) in barrel. It matured in French oak barrels for one year and spent three months in oak foudre. 4,700 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2020.

There was a big improvement in the wines of José Antonio García the last time I tasted Bierzo. I'm happy to report that the 2018s are probably the best he has produced to date. His winery is in Valtuille de Arriba, where his mother is from; and as his father's family comes from Corullón, he has now added a new red from there. More wines from parajes in both villages will come in the future. He now has 25 hectares of old vines averaging 70 years of age, and some plots are up to 100 years old. He produces 85,000 bottles per year. He has jumped two steps up in quality in the last few years. Bravo! Luis Gutierrez 93/100