Castro Candaz Finca El Curvado

Raúl Pérez and Rodrigo Méndez are two good friends and wine growers in the north-west of Spain who have contributed in a very big way to positioning the wines of these regions among Spain's best. They both started out in the wine world in their respective family wineries, but circumstances and their own enthusiasm soon led them to set up individual projects which won over international critics almost straightaway. The Castro Candaz Finca El Curvado combines the expertise of both winemakers with the fine merits of the Mencia grape in the Ribeira Sacra so as to deliver an intimate, thrilling and captivating wine.

Castro Candaz, originally the name of a medieval fortress located in Chantada, is the new project Raúl and Rodrigo have embarked upon in Lugo's granite and slate soils. The Chantada is a cool area where they intend to create wines with a Burgundy profile that prove sensational due to their subtlety. Production runs are very limited (around 4,000 bottles) for the time being, but the quality of the wines has surprised even the creators themselves.

Finca el Curvado, a red made primarily from grapes of the Mencía variety, whose whole clusters ferment in large oak tanks, is the result of a short and gentle wine-making process that's not looking for extraction but balance and elegance. With low density, it has an aromatic and ethereal nose, dominated by clear-cut aromas of Morello cherries, flowers and smoke. The palate is light, refreshing and subtle, with vibrant acidity that takes the wine right the way through; the oak is only just discernible, without daring to hinder the flow of fresh fruit. Its delicate tannins caress the palate, whilst via the retronasal passage there appear balsamic aromas of scrub and hints of fungi and charcoal. Its finish is fresh and lively, knowingly special.