Verónica Ortega Roc Mencía 2023

Roc Mencia is made by Veronica Ortega, a Cadiz native trained in Burgundy and Priorat who settled in Valtuille de Abajo to make her own wines in the D.O. Bierzo. She works mainly with old Mencia vineyards under organic precepts, and the vinification is traditional, with spontaneous fermentation using the vineyard's native yeasts. Bierzo sits in a sheltered valley of north west Spain, where Mencia roots into slate and clay soils and benefits from a mild climate with an Atlantic edge. The old vines give low yields of fragrant, fresh fruit, while spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts adds aromatic complexity and a sense of place that cultured strains tend to flatten. The wine is aged twelve months in French oak barrels, a restrained ageing that frames the fruit and adds a little spice without masking the floral character. The colour is bright cherry red. The nose shows wild red berries and cherry, violet and rose, with thyme and a stony, peppery edge. The palate is light to medium bodied and fresh, with fine tannin, lively acidity and a mineral, savoury finish. Serve cool at 14 to 15 degrees. It suits roast poultry, game birds and grilled salmon.