2005 Baltos Mencia
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Tasting notes
Meaty and gamey on the nose, with a dark bramble nose, and a soft spiced oak seasoning. Dry, soft tannins, quite distinctively minerally on the nose. Very high acidity and decent length too. The meatiness gives it a real charm, but it doesn't have enormous cellaring potential. (RH)
Critic scores
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
Bright purple. Spicy blackberry and plum on the nose, with intriguing tobacco, espresso and licorice accents. Bitter cherry and dark plum flavors are braced by firm tannins and vibrant acidity, with slow-mounting sweetness carrying through the finish. Impressively energetic and pure, closing with fresh, vivid blackberry and plum.
The 2005 Baltos Mencia comes from a less steep terroir and is aged in oak for 6 months. This purple-colored effort exhibits an attractive bouquet of minerals, earth, black cherry and raspberry. This is followed by a medium-bodied wine with concentrated, ripe fruit, excellent depth, and a pure finish. Because of the old-vine, labor-intensive vineyards with low yields, wines from Bierzo can be pricey so this well-made wine is an excellent value. Importer: Classical Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 297-6713; Opici Wines , www.opiciwines.com