Algueira Mencía Pizarra 2015

The current vintage of the Mencía grown on slate soils is the 2015 Pizarra, the year when they believe the vines—30 years old by then—expressed the soils where they are planted, on steep slopes. 2015 was a warm year, and they had to harvest quite early to avoid over-ripeness. Even though it is made with grapes from Ribeira Sacra, this has to be sold without appellation of origin because it fermented in 2,000-liter oak vats, which apparently is not allowed by the DO's rules. It matured in 225- and 600-liter French oak barrels for 30 months. It's a ripe and generously oaked Mencía with a more mainstream/international profile because of the oak aromas and flavors. It has the perfume and floral character that Mencía can sometimes have, but it is somewhat blurred by the use of wood. The palate is medium-bodied and reveals some dusty tannins. 8,290 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2019.