Avancia Mencía Viñas Viejas

D.O. Valdeorras

Town of Raxoá, in the Valley of Valdeorras, Province of Ourense, in the Northeast of the D.O.

90% Mencía, 10% Garnacha Tintorera, Mouratón (Juan García), Gran Negro, Sousón, Cariñena

Aeiroá. Single vineyard with three small parcels located on the southern bank of the River Sil on 30˚ slopes. Oriented Northeast.

1948, 1960, 1963

Traditional dry farmed viticulture. Organic Gobelet trained vines. Cultivated completely by hand.

Primarily slate soils intermixed with small quantities of quartz.

Mediterranean climate with an Atlantic influence. Very cold winters and very warm hot summers.

Maceration & fermentation took place in four old demi-muids. Three of the four underwent a traditional destemming without crushing, and one of the four underwent a full cluster semi-carbonic maceration. Pre-fermentative maceration at 6° C for 48 hours. Spontaneous fermentation without temperature control. The wine was pressed in a vertical basket press and finished malolactic fermentation in barrique.

Eleven months in new French oak barrique (Dominique Laurent & Darnajou)

A field blend from one of the oldest and most heroic vineyards in Valdeorras, Avancia Mencía Viñas Viejas is a small production wine that exemplifies the style of the reds of Valdeorras - ethereal, mineral, floral, lifted, but with a glass staining youthful concentration that sets itself from other Galician reds. As a northern oriented vineyard site, Aeiróa ripens patiently and late in the season, which allows the grapes to maintain high levels of acidity and balance. A percentage of carbonic maceration and stem inclusion brings a crunchy texture and lift to an otherwise powerful wine,