Event

 
2015
Bierzo, Castilla y León, Spain

This medium bodied Spaniard is a multifaceted star that drinks well by itself
or pairs with most everyday fare!

92 Points! The Wine Enthusiast 
"Medium-deep black fruit aromas are ripe, earthy and smooth....... on the palate,
this single-vineyard Mencía is pure and ripe, with bracing acidity.
Blackberry, plum and cassis flavors cover the full black fruit spectrum,
while this balanced red blends weight and power with freshness and finesse on the finish.

Drink through 2025. "

Our Thoughts.........

 Earthy black-fruit aromas are accented by baking spice and lavender.
A full palate, strawberry, raspberry with grippy tannins and firm acidity offers dark, toasty black-fruit flavors as it lingers. This Mencía from a top vintage feels rich on the finish.

Pair with:
Meat: Charcuterie, Steak au Poivre (pepper steak), Pastrami Sandwiches, Corned Beef, Pepperoni Pizza, Smoked Seitan, Barbecue, Wild Game, Roast Pork, Beef Brisket, Carne Asada, Dark Meat Turkey, Duck, Portuguese blood sausage, Chicken Fajitas
Cheese: Monterey Jack, White Cheddar, Serra da Estrela (Portugal), Azeitão (Portugal), Idiazabal (aka Petit Basque), San Simon da Costa (Spain), Queso Iberico (Spain), Manchego (Spain), Tetilla (Spain), Ossau-Iraty (France)
Herb/Spice: Black Pepper, White Pepper, Nutmeg, Allspice, Clove, Anise, Fennel seed, Black Cardamom, Sichuan Pepper, Rosemary, Sage, Bay Leaf, Dill, Garlic, Shallot, Caraway, Dijon Mustard, Hickory, Savory Barbecue Sauce, Celery Seed 

 Elsewhere at $20.00
Our Regular Price $15.99
Special Sale Price

$13.00  a bottle
$66.00 for six ($11.00)

Click here to Order
or call us at
703-668-9463 (WINE)

A bit about Mencia ….
Mencía, known as Jaen in Portugal, is a Spanish grape variety primarily found in the northwestern part of the country. It is planted on over 9,100 hectares, and it is primarily found in the Bierzo, Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras and Monterrei regions.
 
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, Monterrei and the little-known Liébana. Since the 1990s, the grape is increasing in popularity, and an increasing number of noted Spanish winemakers are now working with it.
 
Relationship to other grapes
Portuguese Dão wine featuring Jaen (Mencia) in the blend. It was once thought to be an ancient clone of Cabernet Franc, with which it shares some of its aromas, an impression which has been dispelled with DNA profiling.
Instead, DNA profiling carried out by the Department of Vegetal Biology of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid has concluded that Mencía is identical to Portugal's Jaen do Dão (or Jaen for short) grape variety. However, just recently it has been determined via microsatellite DNA fingerprinting analysis (a.k.a. DNA profiling) that, contrary to what was previously believed, Mencía (Jaén do Dão) likely originated in Portugal since it was the result of a crossing between Alfrocheiro and Patorra, two Portuguese red grape cultivars from the Dão and the Douro regions respectively.