Mengoba Bierzo Sancho Martín Mencía 2015

Sancho Martín is Bodegas Mengoba's single-plot Bierzo red, from an isolated patch of eighty-year-old vines at over 800 metres in the vineyard of Espanillo.

Bierzo lies in a mountain-ringed basin in north-west Spain, and Espanillo is one of its very highest sites. The name La Vigne de Sancho Martín refers to the lieu-dit where the vines stand. The plot looks more like a quarry than a vineyard: incredibly stony, the ancient vines protruding from a soil of fragmented rocky schist, and it yields no more than about a tonne of fruit in total. Gregory Pérez first made the wine in 2012. It is mainly Mencía but, as with most old plantings in Spain, the plot is a field blend and includes some Alicante Bouschet and a little Godello. Fermentation is with one hundred per cent whole bunches, the wine spends thirty days on skins, and it is then pressed to 600-litre demi-muids for malolactic and twelve months of ageing.

Drinking well now and good for a decade. Serve at 16–18°C with roast lamb, grilled beef or a chorizo and bean stew.

*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.