Estévez Bodegas y Viñedos Versos Rapolao 2022

Rapolao is among the most sought after vineyards in Bierzo, a slate slope in Castilla y León prized by the region's leading Mencía growers. The Estévez family buy fruit here for this single variety bottling, honouring the grandfather whose memory inspired the project. Mencía gives perfumed, medium bodied reds, and the slate and quartzite soils of Rapolao lend a clear mineral cut, while the altitude and the wide swing between warm days and cool nights hold acidity and freshness at a moderate 13.5 percent. The wine ages twelve months in oak barrels, where a slow exchange of oxygen through the wood softens the tannins and integrates the fruit without heavy spice. The colour is bright red, the nose led by black fruits such as blackberry and bramble alongside red cherry, with a savoury, slatey minerality and notes of liquorice and dried herbs. The palate is medium bodied and fresh, with fine tannin, a peppery lift and a clean, stony finish. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees after a short decant. It suits roast lamb, grilled beef and mushroom dishes.