Magnum Finca Meixeman - Mencia

80% Mencía & 20% Brancellao, Merenzao, Garnacha, Mouratón, Negreda en Sousón | lager gelegen perceel van A Ponte | puur leisteen terras | 55% whole bunch | vergisting in gebruikt Frans eiken van 5000 liter | rijping voor 12 maanden op gebruikt Frans eiken van 225-500 liter | dikte | spicy | goede zuren | fraaie lengte | veel aroma 

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 2018 Finca Meixeman comes from one of their oldest vineyards and was produced with the varietal blend in the vineyard—80% Mencía and 20% Brancellao, Merenzao, Garnacha, Mouratón, Negreda and Sousón. Most of the reds from 2018 are 13% alcohol, which is lower than in the past and achieved through picking earlier. It fermented with 55% full clusters in closed vats, with a total maceration time of 50 days. It spent six months in 5,000-liter oak vats and then was transferred to used 225- and 500-liter French oak barrels for malolactic and 12 to 13 months aging. This is serious and a little closed, more in the direction of the Capeliños than the Pombeiras. But the palate is impressive, very complete, harmonious, pungent and vibrant. 2018 was a return to the style after a catastrophic 2016 vintage with hail and the 2017 vintage when the vines were recovering. This is from the lower part of A Ponte, with granite and slate soils, and it's a little more powerful. It's really impressive, one of the finest. There are around 7,000 bottles of this. It was bottled in April 2020. No 2016 was bottled, like most of the wines from that year, when they were hit by a big hailstorm. 95/100 Luis Gutiérrrez

Guímaro has 11 hectares of vineyards—all in the Amandi subzone of Ribeira Sacra and all in the village of Doade—and they control another 20 hectares across Ribeira Sacra. They produce 160,000 bottles per year. Since 2013, alcohol levels have been lowered, and it's not low alcohol just for the hell of it. But when you are able to harvest earlier with ripe grapes and lower alcohol, the wines show the terroir more transparently. This change has been gradual, and in 2019, some of the wines have alcohol levels of 12.5%. I caught the 2018s, which could very well be their finest vintage to date.