2012 Guimaro, Mencia, Finca Meixeman, Ribeira Sacra DO, Galicia, Spain.
The vines of the Ribeira Sacra are some of the most remote and most beautiful in the world, I hope to visit and experience them first hand in the near future, in the meantime I will rely on the wines of Pedro M. Rodriguez Perez to transport me there and his wonderful Mencia is a great place to start. The Guimaro wines are all worth searching out both the Godella based white and the Mencia offering are stunning and world class efforts, and especially fine is his single vineyard Finca Meixeman, which compares well with Premier Cru Burgundy for elegance and style. The vines sit high up steep rocky slopes, farmed by hand, the look more like vineyards on the steep river banks or the Mosel or Rhein than you’d imagine of Spain, the pictures Pedro showed me were breathtakingly gorgeous, and of course they do not due the reality justice, I cannot wait to see it in person this amazing place, about 45 miles from the Atlantic in northwest Spain, sandwiched in between the triangle of great Basque cities, San Sebastián to the east, Bilbao to the south and La Coruña to the northwest. My mind races with thoughts of sardines, octopus and ham, the cuisine from this region inspires wondrous dreams, as do the wines, in particular the Mencia reds of Ribeira Sacra and Guimaro is one of the best with glorious detail, pure terroir (cool ocean climate) influences and magical delicacies, very different from the Beirzo grown Mencia that feel much more powerful and oak driven, like Cabernet Franc in many cases, the Ribeira Sacra are more Pinot like and mineral laced. The 2012 Guimaro Finca Meixeman starts with a bright ruby hue with garnet edges, a mix of earth, floral tones and vibrant red fruits with rose petals, crushed violets, fennel, flint/shale and porcini aromas leading to a medium weight palate of tart cherry, dusty plum, mixed berries with layers of spice, savory elements and light cedar notes. In the background there is black olives and crushed stones which add to the complexity and pushes the fruit throughout and on to the lengthy finish, there is subtle tannins that quietly mirror the fruit here and give structure as well as a nice cut of acidity that keeps things vital and fresh in this very alluring Mencia. The regular Tinto Mencia is darn good too, but this Finca Meixeman from Guimaro is something rather special, chase it down and enjoy it over the next 5 to 8 years, best from 2016 to 2021, absolutely too good to miss!
($45 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive
