FROM BIERZO TO GALICIA

You would have heard us bang on about the exciting things that are happening in Spanish wine at the moment. What started as a murmur a decade or so ago, with a few maverick winemakers blazing their own trail,  has grown to thundering roar. A revolution is underway and the epicentre it could be said lies in Spain's north-west in Galicia and across the border to Bierzo in Castilla y León.

Here a band of forward thinking and highly skilled winemakers are crafting a range of incredibly compelling wines from indigenous grapes such as Mencia, Godello, Alicante Bouschet, Treixadura, Doña Blanca, Albarino and more. These are wine that speak loudly of their place. Wines that feel a world away from the extracted, oak heavy wines that have defined Spain internationally for decades. They perhaps have more in common with Burgundy and the northern Rhone when it comes to their building blocks, and yet they taste and feel undeniably of this rugged landscape with it's towering mountains, winding rivers and plunging valleys. I am not sure there is any locale more exciting in the world of wine today. 

PRODUCTS IN THIS OFFER

  1. Quinta da Muradella Candea Blanco 2020
    Quinta da Muradella Candea Blanco 2020

    Even the entry-level white 2020 Candea Blanco, a regional blend of equal parts of Dona Blanca, Verdello and Treixadura fermented and kept with lees in stainless steel for one year, shows character, cleanliness, precision and freshness beyond the price point, and it transcends appellation and vintage and is offered with some time in bottle. It has only 12.5% alcohol and an expressive nose of herbs and flowers, and it is balanced, harmonious and elegant and finishes dry and long with a tasty and salty twist. A bargain. 6,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2022. LUIS GUTIERREZ, Wine Advocate

     

     

    $52.00 As low as $46.80
  2. Jose Antonio Garcia Julia Cuvee Vinificacion Singular 2021
    Jose Antonio Garcia Julia Cuvee Vinificacion Singular 2021

    The pale red 2021 Julia, named after José Antonio's wife, comes from a plot planted with a field blend of Mencía, quite a lot of Merenzao (Trousseau) and Godello, Alicante Bouschet, Palomino, Alicante and Malvasía on sand and gray slate in the village of Villafranca del Bierzo. The clusters of all the varieties together were foot trodden, pressed, fermented in foudre and matured in used 500-liter barrels for one year. It has a bright ruby color, a light to medium-bodied palate, moderate alcohol and ripeness and a very expressive nose with notes of wild berries and herbs. They first produced this wine in 2020. This is quite a breath of fresh air, elegant, ethereal and fresh, with a spicy twist, still a little marked by the élevage, but it should get integrated with a little more time in bottle. 3,500 bottles produced from 2.3 hectares. LUIS GUITIERREZ, Wine Advocate

     

    $63.00 As low as $56.70