Vanessa

9.1

Ribeira Sacra is a breathtaking region in Galicia, Spain, where the pigmented grape ‘Mencía’ plays a key role in winemaking, producing beautifully perfumed & ambrosial reds.

Just close your eyes & imagine steep slopes plunging down into deep river canyons, with historic terraced vineyards perched along the hillsides, gently curving & weaving along and above the Miño and Sil rivers.

Hopefully this helps paint a picture of Ribeira Sacra’s spectacular terrain but it’s worth searching for actual images (if you’ve never seen it).

The term ‘heroic viticulture’ aptly describes the type of farming that takes place here, where vignerons must perform all vineyard tasks by hand, risking life & limb, to bring these unique and authentic wines to our tables.

This 2019 ‘A Ponte’ is a prime example, thanks to Pedro Rodríguez of Guímaro (meaning “rebel” in Gallego), named after his grandfather with a nod to the fiercely independent & self-reliant local identity.

This wine is made with 30% Mencía accompanied by local, heirloom varieties Sousón, Brancellao, Merenzao, Caiño Redondo, & Caiño Longo) grown on granite, slate and sand.

After harvesting by hand, the grapes underwent a wild ferment using 100% whole clusters, contributing to the fruit-driven profile. This wine was then racked into large (and old) Burgundian oak barrels for about 14 months and bottled without fining or filtering.

The result is gulpably delicious, balanced, & complex. It is overflowing with expressive notes of muddled strawberry, ruby red grapefruit, leather, raspberry, plum, blueberry, mulberry, rhubarb sauce, rooibos tea, violet, bacon fat, forest floor, black cherry, black forest cake, fennel, black licorice, anise seed, and wet moss.

On the palate, it’s dry with an energetic acid profile, soft & fine tannins, medium alcohol (13% ABV), overall medium body, & a lingering finish.

This wine tells a story of heroism, history, & place. Not to mention it’s a highly versatile food-pairing wine, which begs for a shared meal with loved ones. Cheers! — 10 days ago

with Deked1

Lucid Selections

9.4

Soft nose of Indian spices, beef jerky, and dark purple flowers. Upon tasting there is a flash in the pan sensation of Northern Rhone Syrah that continues into a black and blue showcase of perfectly ripe fruit. Lavender is there, violets are there, and also a touch of dried clove. The finish is long with a beautiful continuation of everything that's mentioned above. This is an absolutely stunning expression of Mencia. — 8 years ago

Kyle Volluz

9.1

A delicate and elegant choice. Wonderful. — 17 days ago

Fabio Franchella

9.0

Hagenbutte! So delicious — a year ago

with Elena

Sean Burke

9.3

Wth the old lady at bar jamon — 7 years ago

Raul Puga

9.4

Wow!!!! I'm really loving Ribera Sacra wines and this Godello is off the charts good. Pear and lemon and acid OH MY!!! — 8 years ago

Sébastien F

9.0

Bouquet de fruits rouge cerises, cuir, poivre, tanins delicats bien fondues. — 2 months ago

Lucinda Guinn

9.1

Primrose special. Easy to drink natural wine — 4 years ago

George Doolan

9.2

No notes but lively acid, drinking very open, dark cherry. Like a good bojo cru in terms of fruit vibrancy but with mencia funk under the hood. A wine for drinking. — 6 years ago

Richard Parks III

9.0

FRUYTZ FAHR DRAYH WAYNEH — 8 years ago