Las Encinas

I tasted the second bottled vintage of the 2017 Encinas, a Mencía red from Bierzo produced by Antoine Graillot with the help of Raúl Pérez. The grapes came from different plots of old vines in different villages (Otero and Valtuille) and fermented with 100% full clusters in concrete vats; the wine matured in a large oak vat. It has a complex nose that intermixes aromas of violets, smoked meats, earth and licorice, quite subtle and harmonious. It's open and expressive, quite attractive and clean, with a medium-bodied palate and very fine tannins. It finishes long and tasty, almost salty. It was bottled just before the 2018 harvest.

Potent leathery nose with pretty forthright acetone character on the palate. Snappy tannins and a long leathery finish. Powerfully savoury.