Mengoba Bierzo Brezo Mencía 2022

Brezo is Gregorio Pérez's entry-level Bierzo red, drawn from scattered parcels of thirty to sixty-year-old vines on slate hillsides and bottled early.

Bierzo sits in a bowl at the western edge of Castilla y León, closer in climate to Galicia than to the meseta, and Mencía grown on its slate slopes gives a red with the perfume and grip of a cool-climate wine rather than a warm one. Gregorio Pérez, who founded Bodegas Mengoba after working in Bordeaux and elsewhere, sources this cuvée from remote plots around Valtuille and Villafranca del Bierzo. As is traditional in the region's old vineyards, the parcels carry a little Godello and Garnacha Tintorera, or Alicante Bouschet, interplanted among the Mencía, and both go into the blend. Around 80 per cent of the fruit is destemmed, fermentation is with wild yeasts in stainless steel, and the wine is bottled early. The altitude and the swing between warm days and cold nights keep the structure fresh.

Drink over the next two or three years, lightly chilled if you prefer. Serve at 16-18°C with charcuterie, roast chicken or a bowl of lentils and chorizo.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.