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The Mencía Grape
(Synonyms: Fernao Pires Tinta, Giao, Jaen, Loureiro Tinto, Mencin, Negra, Negro, Tinto Mencia, Tinto Mollar, Uva Mencia.)
Mencía is a red-wine grape originating in Spain, where it is today grown primarily in the appellations of Bierzo, Ribeira Sacra, and Valdeorras, which lie in the regions of Castile y Leon and Galicia. It was formerly a relatively minor varietal, but over the past two decades has emerged into notably greater popularity.
In older days, Mencía was usually made as a light-bodied, light-colored, aromatic (and often somewhat astringent) red for early consumption--a sort of Spanish Beaujolais. More recently (as with many grapes) its potential for greater things has been recognized, and significantly deeper, richer, more complex versions are being made, with old-vine bottlings leading the way.
Descriptions of the better Mencías of today are typical of any good red: dark fruit (black cherry, raspberry, blackberry), herbs, earthiness. Remember, it was long confused with Cab Franc, so there is another guideline. But if those sound generic, be assured that most tasters find Mencia distinctive and clearly varietal; as one winemaker put it, "the world didn't need another claret."
Factoid: Mencía is apparently the same grape as Portugal's Jaen. It is not at all related to Cabernet Franc, though such a relation was long suspected owing to similarities of aromas.
(About this list.)
Mencias are readily available, and all over the price spectrum, from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. Here, to get you started, we list just a few of the under-$20 bottlings available, because pretty much every wine writer seems to have his or her favorites, and only a few makers get multiple mentions. That is probably because, as one observed, "It's hard to find bad Bierzo" (or, really, any Mencia); so, feel free to snap up pretty much any Mencia bottling you find that's in your price comfort zone. Keep in mind the various notes above about the two broad classes of stylings, and have fun.
The quotations below are excerpts; we strenuously urge you to click on the green diamond ♦ symbol by each quoted review to see the full article.
(This is not their basic bottling. The winery name is sometimes spelled "Avanthia": beware.)
• Retail offers of this wine listed by 1000 Corks: as
Avancia & as
Avanthia
• Retail offers of this wine listed by Wine Searcher
• This wine's CellarTracker review pages.
• This wine's Wine Searcher "Tasting Notes" page.
Some quotations and facts about this wine:
♦
The 2010 Avancia Cuvee Mosteiro 100% Mencia from head-pruned vines planted between 1920 and 1935 underwent malo in French oak, and the wine spent 12 months in wood prior to being bottled. It displays lots of black and blue fruits blueberries and a hint of raspberries. Deep, rich and full-bodied as well as elegant and precise, this beauty can be enjoyed over the next 5-6 years. Think of it as a ripe Loire Valley Cabernet Franc on steroids. 90 points. [Wine Advocate, November 2013]
♦
Savory notes of tobacco, game and tar frame cherry and plum fruit in this expressive red. Firm tannins support a thick texture, while balsamic acidity keeps this balanced. 89 points. [Wine Spectator, 15 December 2015]
♦
Deep ruby. Ripe blueberry, boysenberry and wood smoke aromas are accented by notes of licorice and nutmeg. Lush, broad and viscous, especially for the variety, with densely packed flavors of black and blue fruits, bitter chocolate and mocha. Finishes supple and sweet, with very good persistence and no obvious tannins. 91 points [International Wine Cellar, September/October 2014]
♦
Smoky, charred, roasted blueberry and green-herb aromas set up a rubbery palate with modest form and structure. Blue-fruit flavors feature notes of bacon and bitterness, while this comes across green, herbal and stewed on the finish. 85 points.
(Bierzo; a blend, c. 95% Mencia)
• Retail offers of this wine listed by 1000 Corks
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• This wine's CellarTracker review pages.
• This wine's Wine Searcher "Tasting Notes" page.
Some quotations and facts about this wine:
♦
Appearance: Wine is clear, dark red at the core with a water white rim. Aroma: Nice aromas of black cherry and cola, with a nice hint of oak. Some reviews I have read mention licorice, but I did not get any - too bad, I love licorice! Taste: Nice acidity with nicely balanced tannins. The aftertaste is a balance of fruit with minerality, very delicious. The Grade: I give this one an A.
♦
If you love violets, blueberries and a hint of black pepper, this elegant, 95 percent Mencia blend is for you.
♣
International Wine Cellar (September 2012), 91 Points.
♣
Wine Spectator (31 December 2012), 91 Points; #57 of "Top 100 Wines of 2012"; "Smart Buys" designation; #26 of "Top 100 Wines of 2011".
♣
Wine Advocate (February 2009), 92 Points.
♦
The entry-level wine (what an entry!) is the 2007 Petalos del Bierzo, 100% Mencia from vineyards ranging in age from 40 to 90 years. It spends its first few weeks in new French barriques before transfer to seasoned oak for 6 to 10 months. Saturated purple in color, it offers up a super-fragrant bouquet of smoke, violets, mineral, wild blueberry, and black raspberry. Fruity yet complex on the palate, it has superb depth, grip, and balance. This sexy effort can be enjoyed over the next six years but only hedonists need apply.
♦
Dark ruby. Ripe red- and blackcurrant aromas are complicated by anise, cola and sexy oak spices. Soft dark berry preserve flavors gain minerality and firmness with air. Zesty cherry skin and mineral notes carry through a long, gently tannic finish.
♦
This plush red delivers black cherry, licorice, mineral and smoke flavors. Harmonious and focused, supported by well-integrated tannins and firm acidity. Not a showy wine, but has complexity and depth.
♦
60-year-old Mencia and 10 months in used French oak. Bright cherry red and lovely supple fruit with just a hint of graphite. Complete juicy, neat wine that tastes less tha 14% alcohol. Bone dry finish but such fluidity. Just lovely stuff. 17/20
♦
The first thing that hits you is the most attractive floral bouquet… hence the “Petalos” moniker. If you are new to the red wines of Bierzo I wholeheartedly recommend this wine as your entry point. Whilst not exhibiting some of the complexities inherent to the single vineyard Mencias, this wine shows exceptionally well, with black raspeberries and a great expression of pure dark fruit. Even at this level Palacios produces wines with a substantial minerality. Very good indeed. ****
♦
[V]very aromatic, with notes of violets, blueberries and licorice. It has medium body, good acidity, with strawberry fruit, spice, and well integrated oak.
♦
The Descendientes De Jose Palacios "Petalos" (Bierzo, Spain) 2009 [Very Good] is a showy wine. . . But the wine is alcoholic (14.5%) and the flavors run toward overripe fruit. It seems that the super-ripe fruit also required acidity adjustments; the balance of the wine is not as good as it could be. Still, this is ripe, tasty wine, "hedonistic" as Parker would say. Dark ruby in color, the aromas show a touch of toasty oak, with strong notes of spice, fennel, licorice and lacquer, on top of black raspberry fruit. Medium to full bodied, with somewhat artificial zippy acidity and grippy tannins, there is a racy quality to the wine on first taste. The Petalos has abundant flavors of black raspberry, prune, black pepper, anise and a metallic minerality. As the wine airs the fruit shows more overripe qualities. The finish is well structured and fairly long, but the overripeness of the fruit detracts, as does unintegrated toasty oak. This is a tasty wine, but was probably better in its infancy, when its freshness was more pronounced.
♦
A bright youthful ruby red colored wine with a highly concentrated core. The fruits on the nose ranges from wild raspberries to red berries subsequently pepper-like spice and subtle bacon. Alcohol also coming through. A developing medium bodied wine with quite low fine-grained tannins of the stalky kind, plenty amount of fruity flavor intensity and a high invigorating and fresh acidity. Alongside the wild raspberries and red plums the alcohol is striking me as a bit over the top and becomes more apparent by the spicy pitch. Sweet wild raspberry lingers and jams in a lengthy aftertaste. Bierzo and Mencia grapes continues to bringing good value to the table, including this entry-level wine from Descendientes de José Palacios. Refreshing and brilliant despite the small spiking. 89 points.
(Beware: they make many Mencías with roughly similar names.)
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• This wine's CellarTracker review pages.
• This wine's Wine Searcher "Tasting Notes" page.
Some quotations and facts about this wine:
♦
The wine leads off with a fresh, very lively nose of blueberry, black cherry and wild plum fruit, spiced up with whiffs of bay leaves and tobacco. Very coolly textured, round and smooth in the mouth, with a fine acid/tannin balance and a distinctly mineral finish. It's both firm and taut yet not at all hard. . . Riding solidly into day two, there was still plenty of bright red fruit, a slight leaning-out in the textural department, and the emergence of enticing aromas of cured meat and salami spices. On the surface, this is juicy, pleasurable, hard-not-to-drink-the-whole-bottle vino, but there's the kind of meaningful substance to it — structure, length and penetrating flavors, a real sense of individuality — that delivers far beyond the overwhelming majority of wines at its $15 price point.
♦
Pedro Guimaro has quickly become a rising star in an area that's getting tremendous attention. This latest young bottling of Mencia, from steep slopes and aged in old wood and steel, is generous and a bit more soft-edged in its fruit, just the counterpoint to the heady pimenton [paprika] aromatics that mark these wines.
♣
International Wine Cellar (November/December 2010), 89 Points.
♣
Wine Advocate (February 2013), 91 Points.
♦
The 2011 Guimaro Joven is muted on the nose compared to the 2010 as it had just been bottled. The palate shows great potential with soft, luscious black fruit laced with white pepper and an undercurrent of green bell pepper. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, silky tannins and a very composed, focused finish that caresses the mouth. Dry, taut and very focused, this is an outstanding wine.
♦
Bright purple. Very fresh, energetic aromas of redcurrant and pomegranate, with complicating notes of cracked pepper and Indian spices. Shows deeper cherry and licorice in the mouth, with a bitter chocolate nuance and strong minerally cut. This is carrying 14.5% alcohol but I wouldn’t have guessed that.
♦
This beautiful and spicy red from Spain’s northwest is made from the Mencia grape which has similar qualities to Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir with dark color, medium weight, lots of spice and delicate flavors. The Guimaro is as pure as it gets for this varietal and is a stunning value for this unique and rare wine from Ribeira Sacra. The 2011 Guimaro Mencia starts with rose petals, wild strawberry and pepper notes with subtle mineral tones, dried currants and sweet herbs while the palate features more of the same along with cherry and plum fruits, cayenne and loamy earth notes. This young and fresh wine is bright and packed with delicious charm, drink over the next few years. 92 Points.
♦
Stepping outside the box, I love Spain’s Mencia grape, which just happens to be Portugal’s Jaen. Guimaro Joven 2010 had a wonderful intensity of spice from start to finish. Gorgeous!
♦
This red from Galicia has juicy, fresh fruit and soft tannins. It’s a good introduction to the local Bordeaux-like Mencía grape.
♦
It is dark purple in the glass. The wine is light to medium bodied. The high acidity makes it seem like a bigger wine. The fruit it tart and there are no signs of oak. Spice and alcohol on the finish. It reminds me of Syrah and Grenache somehow. I think food is a must for this young table wine.
(Don't confuse this with their like-named "Altos" bottlings.)
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Some quotations and facts about this wine:
♦
Generous yet focused, this red delivers black cherry, plum, blood orange, chocolate and toasty flavors, with savory notes of licorice and fennel. Light tannins and citrusy acidity support the fleshy texture. Expressive. 91 points. [Wine Spectator, 31 May 2017]
♦
Meaty leathery blackberry aromas are less dressed up and polished than in past vintages. This Mencía feels jammy, wide and chunky, while flavors of spicy blackberry are limited. A toasty oaky lightly charred finish closes out this full-bodied offering from a tough cool year. 89 points.
♦
They reduced the amount of oak for the 2013 Losada, trying to show more the Mencía character in the wine. The nose denotes more freshness, it doesn't seem as concentrated as in previous vintages, and the palate also shows better balance. I like the direction this cuvée is going within the house style…ripeness with freshness. The palate shows great intensity of flavors and power with balance. A very good, young and powerful Mencía. 90 points. [Wine Advocate, 1 April 2016]
♦
Bright ruby. Aromas of ripe red and dark berries, smoky minerals, anise and potpourri. Sweet, penetrating and pure, offering ripe black raspberry and cherry flavors that deepen and spread out on the back half. Delivers a solid punch of flavor but comes off as lithe, finishing with strong thrust and persistence and sneaky, late-arriving tannins. 92 points. [Vinous, 1 January 2016]
♦
Losada wines are dark, dense, heady creatures. This high-end version is pumping deep mineral and lead aromas alongside cassis, berry and toasted notes. The palate is upright like a good cadet, with lively acidity and blackberry and spice flavors. This is big and modern but not extreme. 93 points, #67 on Top 100 List.
♦
Still tannic [2009 tasted in 2013], with lingering flavors of smoky red fruit.
(Don't confuse this with their like-named "Crianza" or "Roble" bottlings.)
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Some quotations and facts about this wine:
♦
Dark plum and wet forest floor aromas from the cork. Medium+ aromatics offering barnyard, earth, sweet spice and blackberry. It is full-bodied with warm blackberry, black cherry, cedar, earthy, and meaty flavours. Acids are mouthwatering. Tannins are dense, grainy, and a bit rough. Plenty of earthy, savoury notes on the long finish. 88+ points.
♦
[Google-translated from Spanish:] As soon as we begin to serve, we notice that his coat is high and well covered, he has a good tear that he drinks the glass at his slow pace. Dark cherry color with a more violet edging. It gives off aromas of ripe fruit, glimpses of spices and violets, has minerality and dairy products in equal parts. It is in the mouth where it shows its power, is fleshy, fresh, fruity and with a point of salinity that adding to tannins well tamed, endow it with a complexity that is the sea of pleasant. The wood appears timidly bringing to the set roundness in its finish. In general terms, it is a very well finished wine that is elegant for anyone who is tasting it…
♦
This mencia was harvested from old vineyards in the outskirts of Villafranca. Its structure is monolithic, as impenetrable as a wall of slate, showing black fruits, spices and a mouthwatering acidity. A sure bet to lay down for at least five years and enjoy with roast venison. 92 points.
♦
Though gracefully aged, this still offers juicy red cherry and currant flavours with a vanilla accent. A refreshing acidity enhances the core of soft tannins, so could stand to be slightly chilled before decanting.
♦
This is 100% Mencía fruit sourced from stony vineyards and vines averaging 35 years of age. Piquant spice, rose petals and a red and black currant bouquet introduce a juicy stream of tang-laden, red berry fruit—currant, cranberry and wisps of raspberry. It’s mid-full weight with decent mouthfeel and a lingering, quite dry, mouth-watering finish. It’s well-priced and interesting in that it has some age, but drink up soon.
♦
At first, this smells gaseous and rubbery, but airing reveals ripe blackberry aromas, graphite and warmth. In the mouth, this Mencía is jammy and woody; flavors of resiny, salty black fruits are chunky, while barrel influences carry onto the finish, which tastes of hickory, mixed spices and cassis. 89 points.
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• This wine's Wine Searcher "Tasting Notes" page.
Some quotations and facts about this wine:
♦
This is Losada’s second wine, but more approachable in price and drinkability than their premium wine. It’s a beautifully ripe, voluptuous mencia with a fabulous freshness and vitality made by a young team. Star Buy.
♦
Burgundy black in color, this wine has deep, mystical, musty/earthy fruit on the nose ... with pepper and bark. Soft mouth feel immediately present with herbaceous, sensuous dark cherry and cranberry on the palate. This one is complex without being overbearing, expressing elegance, depth and earthy, integrated fruit. Cherry cola berry. On day 2, blueberry/huckleberry on nose and palate, black currant. Spicebox, luscious fruit, hint of eucalyptus ... incredibly silky mouthfeel and ultimately dry finish. LOVE
♣
International Wine Cellar (September 2012), 88 Points.
♣
Wine Spectator (2011), 87 Points.
♦
This lively red delivers alluring flavors of black raspberry, clove, licorice and vanilla, with light, firm tannins and crisp acidity. Fresh and racy, showing some depth.
♦
Vivid purple. Smoke- and spice-accented aromas of dark berries and cherry, with a peppery overtone. Juicy and precise, offering tangy blackberry and bitter cherry flavors and a touch of licorice. Finishes with good lift and cut, leaving a cherry pit note behind.
♦
Our No. 2 wine, the 2011 El Pájaro Rojo from Losada, was a juicy, fruity, structured wine with spicy, herbal notes unburdened by flavors of oak, unpretentious and pleasurable. At $16, it was our best value. ***
♦
This opaque and very dark purple colored wine opens with a plum bouquet with hints of new leather and some barnyard scents. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced, juicy and easy to drink. The flavor profile is a ripe plum with notes of old oak and hints of black raspberry and black pepper. The finish is rather dry and its big and dusty tannins build up quite a bit and linger.
♦
Red fruits in spades, with electric energy on the tongue.
♦
[F]rom the dark side of the fruit department, with superearthy notes; brooding but delicious.
For a Splurge
This is problematic. The few wines nontrivially better than those in the l;ist above are real splurges, pushing the century mark; but those in the middle two-digit range are little if any better than what's on the list.
The best sort of compromise we could see is the La Vizcaina "La Vitoriana" Bierzo bottling.
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Some Descriptions of Mencía Wines
"Most wines produced from Mencía have traditionally been light, pale, relatively fragrant red wines for early consumption. This style of wine was the result of post-Phylloxera plantations on fertile plains, which tended to give high yields but diluted wine. In recent years, much more concentrated and complex wines have been produced by a new generation of winemakers, primarily from old vines growing on hillsides, often on schist soils, in combination with careful vineyard management. This has led to a renewed interest in Mencía and the Denominaciones de Origen using it, such as Bierzo, Valdeorras, Ribeira Sacra and the little-known Liébana."
"It is an aromatic variety, with a bouquet of crushed raspberries and cherries – similar to cabernet franc. It has a medium bodied palate with lots of natural acidity, which reminds me of pinot noir to taste – but it is much, much more minerally than a pinot with steelier tannins. One retailer describes his mencia as having 'sapid mouthwatering ink/blood notes' – I can see what he means. Two styles of mencia exist in Bierzo. The highest vineyard slopes have granite and schist soils which produce a more minerally style, while the lower alluvial clay and stone valleys along the river Sil produce an earthier, riper, style."
"We were enchanted with the haunting, complex aromas of the mencía grape, which is used to such wonderful effect only in northwest Spain. . . Tasting through 25 bottles of Bierzo, we found some wines that offer the mencía largely unadorned, in all its exotic fruit, wildflower and mineral glory. These wines tend to be light-bodied and refreshing. Others we found to have benefited from aging in oak barrels and other modern winemaking techniques, which gave the wines structure and intensity without tasting overtly oaky or compromising their Bierzo integrity. And yes, we did find some wines that seemed too far from home, having lost any sense of regional identity."
"[Mencia is] fruity, aromatic, and a bit higher in acidity than [Tempranillo and Garnacha]. In the lesser vineyards, that means fruity, often simple wines, but when vineyard conditions promote greater concentration and structure, some really exciting wines can result. Plum, cherry, and spice (more pipe tobacco or cocoa than pepper) aromas are typical, sometimes supported by meaty or mineral touches. More powerful examples often show a trace of licorice as well. Most producers have held back on new French oak, which is in keeping with the grape’s lift of acidity and relatively mild tannins. The temptation to apply more oak does come into play with more expensive bottling (most producers here make wines at several price points), so often the cheaper wines capture the grape’s character more clearly than the flagship wines. Find the price-to-style ratio that works best for you and your guests."
"Mencia is a “ 'hot' grape right now in Spain, especially as it is a indigenous varietal. Characteristics of the grape are said to be a deep purple/maroon with some transparency, and a medium + nose of deep concentrated black fruit (especially black cherry), mint, and wild herbs like sage."
"Spicy with rose petals, black pepper, roasted red peppers and berrylike fruit, mencia has always reminded me a little bit of garnacha and cabernet franc — until recently it was thought to be related to, if not a carbon copy of, the latter. . . With the grape having been grown in Spain for centuries, there exist several old vineyards, some which were planted in the 19th century. It is found in Bierzo, the most western appellation of Castilla y Leon, and throughout Galicia. In the latter, it tends to do best in the continental climates of Monterrei, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras, which are marked by cold winters and long, hot summers."
"Mencía has only recently come into spotlight as a quality, potential-laden grape variety. When properly made, it offers fascinating wines across a contrasting spectrum of styles; on the one end are fruity and forward wines with supple tannins and succulent fruit. On the other end are more concentrated, powerful styles with an exotic earthiness, smooth tannins and an enviable reflection of the minerally-rich Bierzo terroir. Mencía is capable of making excellent wine on its own, with no need to sacrifice its unique character in blends with Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot that are commonplace elsewhere in Spain."
"Mencia defines Bierzo, and its signature is hard to miss - a nose filled with primal, sometimes fierce aromas. Blood is a scent in wine I don't usually discuss in public (try explaining that one in polite company), but Bierzo wines can smell beautifully sanguine, in addition to floral, spicy, animal scents and powerful mineral presence. These are not qualities to charm all, but then neither are the peppery tones of Syrah. . My recent tasting of about 15 Bierzo wines made clear how wide the styles swing. Young, they offered the vibrancy of good Beaujolais; the oak-aged wines were more stylish but most retained some nuance. It's hard to find bad Bierzo, a credit to the young enologists working in the region."
"[Mencia] Wines today are more likely to have a bright complexion with a vivid maroon color, fresh acidity and tannins, and dark-fruit flavors with a herbal dimension of mint or thyme. Some producers are experimenting with carbonic maceration to accentuate the variety’s fruit characteristics and reduce tannins, and wines made using this method are more approachable in their youth."
"Fortunately, these winemakers have wised up, and with a bit of patience and new technology, they are finding that the 'potential' was not that hard to access after all. Better crop management, temperature controlled fermentation and more experimentation with oak barrels have all led to exciting results. What has emerged are wines that can be powerful, while nuanced with red fruits and earthy richness. I n fact, they tend to be some of the more interesting wines in my opinion landing on Spanish wine shelves. Often the color will be a deep maroon, though I have found good examples that tend to be on the lighter side as well. Typical flavors are of earth, herbs (think mint, rosemary, thyme), dark fruits (raspberry, black cherry, blackberry) and I often find black pepper coming to the fore front as well."
"But, that's all changing rapidly ... nothing at all cabernet-like about it when well handled: you're more likely to see something that looks like a cross between Cornas (wild, spicey northern Rhone syrah) and funky top-end Burgundy. An absolute feature is a long, fine, extremely silky thread of fruit tannin all the way down the palate."
"I'll never forget my first experience of a red wine made from the grape mencia grown in an area in northwestern Spain called Bierzo, both new to me. Something special marked this wine's aroma, how its several layers of scent jumped from the glass, like many-colored Buddhist prayer flags fluttering in the wind. Aromas of both red and blue fruits were there, but also more, the smell of wet black stone, slate stone particularly, and a kind of "wine-iness," a grape-y sapidity to which I hadn't paid much attention in red wine before. Beautiful color, too, a brilliant red sparked with magenta at its edge; and a mouthful of flavors that those same aromas had presaged, made liquid, juicy in texture, with a refreshing tang as a finish. 'Juicy' is the best summary word."