Spain Poses As Beaujolais

Wine clubs should be for exploration, not repetition. My wine club surprised me this month with a tasty imposter from Spain. The 2021 Mix Tinto, from Mixtura Wines, is all Spanish, but it does a nice impression of a Beaujolais. 

The cool-climate red is from Galacia, on Spain's northwest corner. I'll be drawing liberally here from the website of the importer, The Source Imports. "A native of Galicia, Gutier Seijo Otero developed his own project, Mix and Mixtura, in 2019 after nearly a decade at the helm of the historical Ribeira Sacra winery, Dominio do Bibei. Though his winery is in Ribeiro, the project is focused on recovering historical vineyards and native grape varieties in northwestern Spain and Portugal along the Miño and Sil rivers. His wines disregard traditional political boundaries and are labeled without appellation and variety. The project is rooted in a deep respect for the land and culture, using minimal intervention and native yeasts, with Mix largely vinified and aged in small old French oak and Tava amphoras, and Mixtura in concrete eggs and Stockinger barrels."

They aren't kidding about the labeling. I am really just guessing that the vintage is 2021. I could be wrong. I don't have to guess about the composition, though. Mix Tinto is made from 70% Bierzo Mencía grapes, grown "on granite bedrock with a topsoil of deep red clay and cobbles," and 30% "Ribeiro Caiño Longo on granite bedrock and sábrego (decomposed granite with granitic clay and sand) topsoil." The grapes were crushed whole cluster and the wine was aged in French oak for eleven months. Alcohol hits only 12% abv and the wine retails for $34.

This wine is dark purple, almost indigo. The nose is bright and strident. Aromas of blackberry dominate, and plenty of minerality comes through. A layer of oak spice completes the scene. On the palate, savory is the word. Earthy tones cover the dark fruit, while spices play with a hint of oak. The finish is lengthy and the tannins are firm without being overwhelming. 

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If Mencia Wine Is From Portugal, It Must Be Jaen

The 2020 Taboadella 1255 Jaen Reserva Dao is a Portuguese gem. The 1255 on the label is a nod to the origin of the village, according to records. Some think, however, that the place dates back to the 1st century. Winemaking artifacts reveal some of the oldest wine technology in the Dao.

The wine is made from 100% Jaen grapes, a Portuguese variety which is known in Spain as Mencia. Taboadella Reserva was aged for nine months, 20% in new French oak barrels, 80% in second-use barrels. Alcohol tips 13.5% abv and the retail price is $35.

This wine is medium-dark in the glass. The nose is rich with raspberry and blueberry aromas, while the palate shows dark fruit as well. There is a touch of oak, but it is not at all overdone. The tannins are somewhat fierce upon opening, so let it breathe a bit. The acidity is mouth-watering and the finish is lengthy. Taboadella begs for a thick, juicy steak. 

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Spanish Red To Drink Quickly

The 2016 Pagos de Galir Mencia is made in the Spanish region of Valdeorras from 100% Mencia grapes. Mencia is the main red grape in the DO, which is in Galicia's Ourense province in the northwestern part of the country.  The Romans mined for gold in the area, then planted grapevines when they felt they had gotten all the precious metal out of the earth.

The 2016 harvest was down by nearly a third from the previous year, thanks to spring rains, hot temperatures and summer hail. The wine spent six months aging in American and French oak barrels, and another six in the cellar.  Alcohol sits at 13.5% abv and the wine retails for a reasonable $17.

Mencia grapes once produced a relatively light and fragrant wine, but in recent years winemakers have been getting much more concentration.  In fact, this wine is downright inky. 

Upon opening, this Spanish wine has a tight nose that offers only a whiff of red fruit and bit of spice.  After breathing for awhile, things loosen up considerably.  Six months barrel aging didn't take over the fruit.  There are plenty of those Mencía grapes to smell.  Plenty to taste, too, although the oak spice comes through a tad stronger on the palate.  Tannins are firm initially, and the wine feels fresh and young in the mouth.  However, the structure softens quite a bit after a couple of hours in the glass.


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