Akilia Villarín 2022

Akilia Villarín is a single-variety Mencía from the Akilia winery in D.O. Bierzo. The fruit comes from one hectare of east-facing vines, almost a century old and trained as bush vines in the traditional goblet style. The soils are clay loam over a base of slate and quartzite, and that broken slate gives Bierzo Mencía its fresh, perfumed character and a clear stony minerality. The harvest is manual, with small boxes used to keep the grapes whole on the way to the cellar. The wine is aged seven months in concrete vats rather than oak. Concrete is inert and adds no wood flavour, but its thick walls hold a steady temperature and allow a slow, gentle micro-oxygenation, so the wine settles while keeping its bright fruit and freshness. The colour is bright cherry red, the nose offering ripe strawberry, juicy cherry and plum with black pepper, dried herbs and a floral, slate-driven mineral note. The palate is fresh and lively, light to medium bodied, with fine tannin and a clean finish. Serve at 15 to 16 degrees and it can take a light chill. It suits roast poultry, game birds and mushroom dishes.