Castro Candaz Finca El Curvado 2022

Castro Candaz Finca El Curvado is a single varietal Mencía from D.O. Ribeira Sacra in Galicia, made by Raúl Pérez, one of the figures behind the modern revival of north west Spanish reds. The vineyards sit on near vertical terraces of decomposed slate and granite above the Miño, where heat retained by the rock and a cool Atlantic influence give a long, even ripening with marked day to night temperature swings. That diurnal range preserves acidity and aromatic detail in the fruit. Whole grapes are fermented and the wine then spends twelve months in used French oak, where slow oxygen exchange softens the tannins and adds a measured savoury frame without burying the variety. The colour is bright ruby. The nose leads with wild raspberry and dark cherry over crushed slate, violet and a trace of black pepper. The palate is medium bodied, fresh and finely grained, the fruit carried by mineral acidity to a long, faintly smoky finish. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees, ideally decanted half an hour ahead, alongside roast beef, game birds or a mushroom dish.