Lousas Parcela ‘Seoane‘ - Mencia & co. (21)

90% Mencia met o.a. Brancellao, Merenzao, Grao Negro, Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) e.a. |  'Seoane' wijngaard | rondom het dorp Doade, in de regio Amandi | 80-100 jaar oude stokken | terroir van gneiss, schist en kwartsiet | whole bunch | vergisting in open kuipen | rijping in gebruikt Frans eiken van 500, 400 en 228 liter voor 12 maanden | 2200 flessen gemaakt | bruisend karakter | open | viooltjes | bloedsinaasappel | kruiden | parfum | stenig | finesse

Envínate

Een joint venture gestart door vier wijn-nerds die elkaar zijn tegengekomen op de Universiteit. Een sprookjesverhaal toch? Na een aantal oogsten is hun reputatie flink gestegen en maken ze super wijnen op 3 verschillende locaties; langs de westkust van Tenerife, in Ribeira Sacra en in Almansa. Wijnen met laserprecisie, super energie en met een licht natuurlijk randje! Een prachtige aanvulling op ons portfolio!

Review

The ripest of the single-vineyard wines is the 2020 Lousas Parcela Seoane, which still has a moderate 13.7% alcohol. It's a Mencía-based field blend with some 10% other grapes, red and white, from over 80-year-old vines at 350 to 450 meters in altitude. The grapes were picked early, on September 1st, and fermented with 100% full clusters that were foot trodden. It matured in neutral oak barrels of different sizes for 12 months. This is from a plot that suffers in warm vintages; it's the first to be harvested, and in 2020 they had to sort and discard. The wine is a little shy (it was bottled a couple of months before I tasted it), and it's a little more compressed on the palate. Only 1,000 bottles were filled in November 2021. 94/100 Luis Gutiérrez

2019 was a balanced and healthy vintage in the Ribeira Sacra, but 2020 was warmer and drier and resulted in their second earliest-ever harvest in the region. They now have three hectares of vineyards (including a small one in Capeliños) and work up to seven, and they are going to expand the winery. They produce between 25,000 and 40,000 bottles depending on the vintage, which in the last few years is very variable. The aim is for 40,000 bottles, but in 2020 yields were catastrophic. There might be two new village wines from 2021, a vintage with good yields again. 2021 is a cool, classical vintage.